Good as Dead
by Iliana Holt
Summary: Halloween night causes quite a stir. Sam is acting strangely. Eric and Sookie have an interesting "date" that grows into something more...M for later chapters. Eric/Sookie. Spoilers for all books.
1. Chapter 1

Good as Dead

I have no rights to the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I recently read all eight books of the series in one week and couldn't wait until May to think of what might happen with the characters.  Hope it helps you pass the time as well! This is my first fanfic attempt. Enjoy!!!

**Chapter 1**

I offered to work the afternoon Halloween shift until 9:00 for Arlene - even though she's not on my list of favorite people right now, so she could take her kids to a Halloween party. No sense in punishing them because their mom decided to date someone who probably wanted to kill me. (It's not like it's the first time.) I mean I am still their "Aunt" Sookie. God only knows what she's told them about me now. They probably think I'm going straight to hell in a handbasket.

Of course, Sam didn't mention until _after_ I offered to work that he wanted the staff to dress up, so I guess I had to find something to wear. I don't think I've worn a Halloween costume since junior high.

I cruised over to Wal-Mart and grabbed some essentials: paper towels, toothpaste and a few groceries. The seasonal department was pretty picked over, but there were quite a few choices still left in the costume aisle. I didn't need to ask why.

I peeked through the racks of nylon and plastic outfits. Sexy kitten, sexy bunny, nun, oversized baby. I don't think so. A witch – um, my roomies might be offended. I saw a ridiculously low-cut Vampira costume complete with the black wig and fangs. I can't believe they actually still sell these costumes when there are live – well, dead - vampires walking the street! I didn't imagine the vampires would be amused.

What would those Fellowship of the Sun folks say if they saw me in this?! I hesitated for just a second, decided I wasn't feeling _that_ sassy and put it back on the peg. May as well not tempt fate.

I perused the other side and saw a pair of fairy wings and a wand and broke into a huge grin. Now that's funny - even _if_ no one else will get the joke. I would just need something to wear with my wings. I couldn't justify spending money to buy myself a new outfit to wear for one night – at work no less, so I figured I would find something in my closet.

The gal at the register was wearing a black shirt with candy corn appliqués on it and greeted me with a big smile. She scanned my items as she thought about her mom's heart surgery that weekend. I opened my mouth and started to wish her mom luck and I stopped myself. She looked up expecting me to finish my sentence and I clamped my mouth shut and looked away. No wonder people think I'm nuts.

I unpacked my shopping bags in the kitchen and decided I better figure out what to wear with my costume. It really wasn't like me to wait until the last minute for something like this, but then, I hadn't had much time to prepare either.

Amelia came downstairs and looked at my fairy wings and wand. "Tell me those aren't for you." She chided.

"Sam wants us to dress up tomorrow. Come on, they're cute. Plus, this is the lesser of many evils. Trust me," I said. "I just have to find something to wear with it. It just can't be too nice because there is always the chance it could get a drink spilled on it."

"Yeah, a drink. I'd be willing to bet it would be vampire blood or gunshot residue. Not a gin and tonic." She teased.

I shrugged. "I'm not planning on getting into any trouble tonight. I'm turning over a new leaf. I've already gone three days with no trouble."

After a muffled laugh, Amelia hustled upstairs and returned a minute later with a garment bag. She handed it to me.

"This is probably your size. I will never wear this dress again and it matches the color in your little wings." She said, "I don't care if you drop it in the deep fryer at the end of the night. I can't believe I even bothered moving it with me when I came here." I caught an image of an overly pink wedding party and the drunken groom trying to feel up a disgusted Amelia.

"Okey Dokey then," I said, trying to block out her blaring thoughts as I pulled the dress out and held it up in front of me. "I think this will fit me and the color is perfect. Thanks for letting me borrow it, roomie."

"Sure, but it's not a loan. Have it. I'd rather not waste the closet space" she said. Her face suddenly brightened, "I forgot I told Tray I would call him about our Halloween plans." She turned to bound up the stairs.

Halfway up she stopped and shouted down, "Oh, and Octavia went to visit her niece and help with their big haunted house they are doing tomorrow night. She wanted me to tell you Happy Halloween." I heard her feet run up the remaining stairs.

I brought everything into my room and tried on the dress. It fit perfectly. I felt a little excitement about the next day with my fancy fairy get-up. It was a tad over-the-top for Merlotte's, but what the heck? You don't get too many chances to dress up as something you're not. Well, in my case something you kind of are.

Anyhow, I did have another stop to make after work where a costume may be in order. I had a bite to eat, showered and settled into bed for the night with my book.

The next morning was Halloween. I opened the back door. As the cold air hit my lungs I suddenly got the feeling that things would not stay as quiet as they had been the past couple of days. I grabbed an armload of wood to fill up the rack by the fireplace.

If I didn't know myself better, I might think I was psychic as well as telepathic.


	2. Chapter 2

I have no rights to the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I recently read all eight books of the series in one week and couldn't wait until May to think of what might happen with the characters.  Hope it helps you pass the time as well! This is my first fanfic attempt. Enjoy!!!

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****Chapter 2**

I had some breakfast and grabbed my book I had started the night before. I built a fire in the fireplace, tucked my feet up and started reading. I didn't start work until 4:30.

I was trying to ignore the buzz that was like a strange anticipation building up inside of me knowing that it wasn't from the story I was reading.

Amelia came downstairs with a duffle bag and a witch hat (no joke). She seemed like she was in a hurry, but stopped in the kitchen. "I'm going to run some errands and meet up with Tray. Our plans changed for tonight and we're going down to New Orleans to meet up with some old friends of mine. I'll be back after the weekend. Have a good night at work!"

"Okay, have a fun weekend. Be safe."

And just like that I had the house to myself.

I took a shower and put my hair up in big rollers and set out everything I needed to get ready, checking my watch to see if it was time yet. Good grief, what was my rush?! I'd never felt so anxious to go to work in my life.

Smoky eyeshadow, black liner and a thick layer of mascara created an exotic look. _It's Halloween, might as well go all out!_ I applied my lipstick that was supposedly kiss-proof. I couldn't tell you if it works since it was from the pre-Bill era. I pulled out my rollers and let the loose curls fall around my shoulders.

Finally I slid on the fuchsia dress. It had a built-in bra which was good because the back dipped down to the small of my back. It also had a plunging V neckline and a slit up the left leg.

Okay, what bride in their right mind would choose this as a bridesmaid's dress? No wonder the groom was hitting on Amelia at the wedding.

The fabric had a little stretch to it which allowed it to hug all of my curves. And let's face it; I would be running around at work, so it added to the comfortable, moving-around factor. Every edge of the dress had small shimmery crystals that looked like fairy dust landed on it.

I opted for a pair of panties that wouldn't show any lines through the not-so-forgiving fabric..

All I needed now were my wings. They were multiple shades of pink (one of which matched the dress perfectly) with a delicate glitter all over. I put them on, grabbed my wand and looked in the mirror for the full effect. Miss America Fairy. I laughed out loud.

_Claudine would just die if she saw me right now._

And then she appeared in the reflection of my mirror sitting on the edge of the bed. She was flawless in a turquoise sweater dress. The fact that I was hardly shocked showed just how strange my life had been lately.

"Look at you!" she said brightly.

"I was just thinking of you," I said.

"I know," she looked me over and raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow. "Planning to go public about your ancestry?"

"I just pulled this together last night for work. Sam wants us to dress up."

"Dress up or _dress up_? Is he holding a fairy ball?! I didn't get an invitation." Claudine stood up. "You look gorgeous. Just as beautiful as a full-blooded fairy. But you look like you're advertising that you're back on the market. I daresay there will be some interested parties. You know how those men get after a few drinks."

"Oh, I don't think I have to worry about that," I said. "All the men that frequent Merlotte's are terrified of me anyhow. And if they aren't afraid _of_ me, they're afraid they'll end up dead if they hang around me!"

"And what about after work? We're having quite a show at the club if you'd like to stop by." Claudine leaned over and hugged me and kissed my cheek. "Don't forget about your shoes. Happy Halloween, Sookie." Then she left as quickly as she'd arrived.

So much for fairy godmothers…wasn't she supposed to supply the glass slippers?

I looked down at my feet. My black adidas wouldn't exactly complete the look. I needed shoes! I thought longingly for my silver shoes that were likely reduced to ash in Rhodes.

There was a shoebox on the shelf in my closet that held a pair of Gran's old shoes. I couldn't say why I couldn't ever give them up. I never thought I would even wear them. They were silver and antique looking, with a rounded toe, a small heel and a cluster of rhinestones on them. Absolutely perfect. When I pulled out the shoes, I silently thanked Gran and told her I loved her.

Then I saw a piece of notebook paper folded in the bottom of the box. When I turned the paper over, I saw my name written on it.

"_Sookie"_


	3. Chapter 3

Good as Dead

I have no rights to the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I recently read all eight books of the series in one week and couldn't wait until May to think of what might happen with the characters. :) Hope it helps you pass the time as well! This is my first fanfic attempt. Enjoy!!!

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Chapter 3

The handwriting was familiar, but it wasn't Gran's. Now was not the time for me to be finding hidden notes in an old shoe box of my dead grandmother's. If this was going to cause an overload of emotion, it was not something I needed to experience 10 minutes before going into work on a busy night.

But that didn't stop me. I couldn't seem to help myself. I unfolded the paper, trying to prevent myself from ripping it open. I instinctively looked at the bottom of the note. In place of a signature was an "E". My heart started pounding.

How would Eric have possibly gotten a note into Gran's shoebox? Was he in my house?

The shoe box was stored in my old room on the top shelf with all of my keepsakes. He stayed in the little hidey-hole right beneath them. It hadn't been used since and I moved all of my keepsakes into my own closet when Octavia moved in.

Did he write this while he was staying with me?

_Only one way to find out._ I took a deep breath.

My Lover,

You are sleeping peacefully and dawn is coming soon. I have an unfamiliar sense of uncertainty and it's hard to admit, so I put pen to paper.

The fight is over and the spell could be broken at any time. I know things will be different once this happens and I'll have to go back to my duties. It seems I have a lot of people who rely on me, but the last person I ever want to let down is you. I meant it when I said I would give it all up to be with you. We can't let anything stand in the way of what we have together.

May this letter serve as a reminder that you are the most important person in my world and that if you will just let me, I will love you forever.

I am yours,

~E

P.S. you are simply incredible between the sheets. And on the kitchen table, in the shower, etc.

I swallowed hard and sat down on the bed. Reading Eric's words brought me right back to our time together. I fought the urge to miss him again. It seemed so silly to grieve the loss of someone who is still alive – well technically not. Whatever - someone you still see and talk to.

_He'd love me forever if I'd just let him._

As if he knew himself. Afterward he didn't remember, so yeah, that was a pretty good excuse. But what about after he did remember Nothing. No proclamations of undying love. (no pun intended) No – anything. I should have known better than to open this letter in the first place. The confusion seemed to wrap itself around my brain and squeeze. I can't do this right now.

I carefully slipped on Gran's shoes, pulled my wings off so I could wear a warm coat and got into my car. I tucked the piece of paper into my purse and took off for work.

I stepped into the bar with my hood over my head to shelter my face from the chilly wind. Wings, wand and purse in hand, I ducked into Sam's office. I pulled off my coat and slipped my arms through the elastic bands that held on my wings. I put my purse away in the drawer and grabbed my wand.

Sam said. "Hi Sookie" before he even got through the door. He must have picked up my scent. Then he looked up at me. He stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened and he looked nervous.

"Hey, what's the matter?!" I asked. "Is something wrong in the bar? Am I late?" I looked up at the clock. Five minutes until I was due to clock in. "Tell me there isn't someone here to kill me again."

"Sookie," he said slowly, "you're not planning on wearing that tonight, are you?"

"Well sure," I said. "It's my costume. I'm a fairy." I did a little half turn so he could see my wings.

"Uh, yeah, I got that. You can't wear that here."

"I saw Tanya out there and she is dressed up too. What's the problem?"

"Sookie, you would be better off in your uniform and some cat ears or something. This has trouble written all over it."

"I can't very well go home and change. I haven't got anything else to put on for a costume and my shift starts in 5 minutes."

"I don't think you understand what you're doing."

"I understand that I'm wearing a costume just like you told me to. I was trying to have a little fun with it, but you seem to be trying to kill the fun. It's just a dress and some wings. It's going to be fine."

"You're not wearing that costume in my bar," he said with a touch of anger.

"What are you gonna do, fire me?" I asked defiantly. Not a shining moment in my boss/employee conversation history.

"Sookie, I don't want to fire you. It's just – looking like that, there's something else I'd like to do to you." His eyes were smoldering.

_Oh._ I suddenly thought of the last time I had seen him naked, but shook off the thought. Sam has played an active role in some of my best fantasies, but I have a firm belief against work relationships. Plus, Sam and I were just friends. "Oh for crying out loud, Sam. You've seen me in a dress a hundred times."

I felt his gaze touch me as he looked me up and down. I met his eyes.

"Sam, you're my boss and I need to get to work." I stated and I walked right past him and went into the ladies room. I wanted to splash cold water on my face, but I didn't want to ruin my make-up.

_Okay, it's time for Sam to chill out and time for me to go to work._

I walked out to the bar and waved to Tanya to let her know I was there. She did a double take and waved back with an odd look on her face. She was dressed as Minnie Mouse. Merlotte's was busy already. There were a few people dressed in costumes. Some were wearing bright orange shirts and there was a smattering of pumpkin and skeleton jewelry. The place looked good. Sam's pumpkins were great and everyone looked like they were having a good time. A few of the bar patrons looked up and I flashed a smile around the room. Although I've gotten used to people looking at me strangely, I felt like I had suddenly grown a horn out of my head. I got nervous for a second and the thoughts started breaking through my barrier.

This must be how Claudine and Claude felt when everyone stared at them. The only difference is they didn't know what everyone was thinking. Well, that's not true, I'm sure they knew. They just couldn't hear it as vividly as I could.

_Those are the most perfect breasts I've ever seen._

_She looks good enough to eat._

_I'd like to get me some of that._

_I wonder what she's got on under that dress._

_Too bad she's wasting that sexy body on dead guys._

Okay, maybe Sam was right. This costume might not be the best for the bar. I knew it was a little over-the-top, but it was too late now. I plastered on a smile, greeted my tables and took their orders. The first three times I picked up drinks from the bar, Sam gave me a sort of pained look and finally wouldn't even look at me anymore. _At least the customers are tipping well._

The bar started to get really crowded. Folks were talking about the local haunted hayride and a haunted house they put on in the high school gym this year. Tallies for numbers of trick-or-treaters were exchanged. Maxine Fortenberry even came in with a basket of homemade popcorn balls.

Now that it was so packed, the fairy wings were quickly causing a problem I hadn't anticipated. Every time I turned around I was running into someone with them or someone was running into me. I almost dropped a tray of six beers.

Sam looked at me with eyes that could have burned a hole through my head. "Sookie, take off the damn wings before you break something."

I shot him a look and said, "Okay, I got it," and set down my tray. _Sheesh, he's crabby._

I went back behind the bar and asked for some help. He gently slid his fingers under the straps and pulled them over my shoulders and down my arms.

"Well, now I don't look like much of a fairy in just this dress. I look more like some kind of diva."

"That sounds about right," he said sternly.

"Excuse me?" I demanded.

"See, it's that tone right there I'm talking about."

"Sam, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you." I said sternly, but quietly so the people sitting at the bar couldn't hear me. "You don't get to tell me how to dress or act and you don't get to be pissed at me because I – I won't sleep with you. I don't even know where this is coming from."

"And why is it you _won't_ sleep with me?" He asked.

"Because, you're my boss." I replied simply.

"If the fact that I'm you're boss is the only reason, then maybe I _should_ fire you."

"This is crazy. You're my friend! I've worked here for almost 6 years!" I hadn't realized my voice was getting louder and everyone else's was getting quieter. "Do you think if you fired me I would just jump in the sack with you?!"

Of course, Jason chose that opportunity to walk through the door and he wasn't alone. The sexy feline on his arm was not Crystal. _Shit._ This night was just going _perfectly_.

Arlene walked up from the back room and I took full advantage of it. It was ten minutes to 9, but I would rather get staked again than stick around here for another second.

"I'm sure you can bring Arlene up to speed on what's going on around here." I said in a sweet voice laced with venom. I ripped my wings out of a stunned Sam's hands and walked as fast as I could to grab my purse and rushed out the back door to my car.

When I got in my seat I let out a loud frustrated, growly breath and tried to bring my heart rate back to normal.

_What the hell am I doing? _I asked myself, really as a fairly broad, blanket question of my life. I didn't have any answers to the big self-inquisition, but I remembered I had somewhere else to go. My attitude and I put it in gear and drove as fast as we could to Shreveport.


	4. Chapter 4

I have no rights to the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I recently read all eight books of the series in one week and couldn't wait until May to think of what might happen with the characters. :) Hope it helps you pass the time as well!

FYI to readers: I did edit the few misplacements of foul language on Sookie's part in the first couple of chapters. It's not really in my nature to swear unless I'm in a really stressful situation either…I guess I was a little nervous when I was writing! Thanks sincerely for the feedback and reviews. I really took your constructive criticism to heart and hope you all enjoy the next chapter. Also, the comments about Sam are valid, but please just read on!

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Chapter 4

I didn't want to get pulled over so I tried not to speed, but I had a jumble of nerves and irritation inside of me. I thought I might explode.

I started a mental review of the evening tried to find a way to reassure myself I hadn't finally and completely lost my mind.

Sam and I always had an easy relationship, nothing that would assume a romantic scenario aside from a pretty innocent kiss. He's always been protective of me, a stand-up guy and a really good friend. Suddenly he was all-out ready to jump my bones and getting pretty angry about my refusal. And threatening my job?!!!

Ooh, I could feel my blood boiling.

And Jason just topped it off. After he put me in a very precarious position to find Crystal in bed with someone else, he let the responsibility fall on me to break a friend's hand. Then he just saunters into the bar where I work and practically announces he's taken his wife's lead in the infidelity department. He's gotten himself into serious trouble. Not just with me, but with the whole community of Hotshot if they find out. I can't say he was being too discreet about it. I just flat-out refuse to be punished again for actions in a union that I didn't even agree with in the first place.

My cell phone rang and I nearly jumped out of my skin. _Sheesh, time to switch to decaf!_

It was a call from Merlotte's. I groaned. I wasn't going to hide, so I answered it.

"Yes?" I asked sharply. Gran would have been so disappointed.

It was Sam. "Sookie, don't hang up. It's really busy here, so I only have a second, but I'm sorry about earlier. You and I are going to need to talk later." He sounded sincere and a little worried. "Are you home yet?"

"No, I'm not going home. I have to go over to Fangtasia."

He sounded panicked. "I think that's a bad idea."

"Sam, while I appreciate the concern, I told you; you don't get to tell me what to do."

"Sookie, I was frustrated with everything about you from the moment I saw you tonight. And then the second you left the room, the air completely changed. I felt my mood flip in a split second. I have a reason for saying this." He sounded like he was gearing up for the next question. "Have you been around anyone that might mean to harm you or me or our friendship? Someone with a little, ah, magic up their sleeve?"

I couldn't believe it. "So you're saying you think you were under some sort of spell?" That was rich.

He sounded really tired all of a sudden, "I definitely felt like I was under the influence of something. Things like that just don't happen between us. Think about it. You _know_ me."

The whole "men under spells" thing was getting a little old. But I had to admit, it was easier for me to believe Sam could act the way he did tonight under a magical influence than I could fathom his behavior without. For now that was reason enough for me to contemplate it.

I seemed to deflate, "Let's talk later then. I have some thinking to do."

"Alright Sookie, I wish you would just go home instead. Something's definitely going on. I've really gotta go now. Please be safe." He hung up.

I cracked my window to get some fresh air. I tried to be objective about the situation. I wondered what kind of hex would cause a good friend to turn into an overly possessive, ticked-off horn dog. The big question was; who was trying to push us apart?

"_I'll get you and your little dog too!" _I snickered.

Sam's relationships have been pretty scarce that I know of. I could only think of the tryst with the maenad.

I didn't see any motive in my exes. Bill always seemed a little irritated about my close relationship with Sam, but I think it was mostly territorial behavior, since he couldn't deny how often Sam has protected or helped me (especially during the day when he couldn't). It would be a cold day in you-know-where before Eric would go to a witch for any help. Quinn wasn't someone to retaliate like that either. He was disappointed at the circumstances of our break-up and messed up big-time leading vampires to my home, but I honestly didn't think he would ever do anything to intentionally hurt me.

Exploring another avenue of thought; the local supernatural powers-that-be found interest in my ability and wanted to keep me safe. I had been offered the protection of the vampires and I was a friend of Alcide's pack. Claudine was there to help me when I needed her and I felt confident that Niall would save me from harm if it was in his power.

The Hotshot community is extended family – which could go either way. After all, Calvin Norris had always been nice to me, but I did reject his offer to broaden the Hotshot gene pool _and_ broke his hand. _Three strikes, you're out!_ And my brother…well I don't need to get into that again.

Changes were taking place in the Were communities and they were looking for allies. They could have singled Sam out because he is so close to me or because he's a shifter and tends to go his own way.

The Fellowship of the Sun was also a lead and more likely than any other. I didn't even want to think about whether Arlene could be involved.

I had lots of theories, but no solid answers and I didn't know if the curse was on him, me or the bar - or whether it was something else entirely. Maybe we would have to test the options tomorrow to see if it will help figure out who is behind it.

He was right - I should be careful. While I had an impressive measure of protection surrounding me, it could also attract quite an arsenal of potential enemies.

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_**Don't worry, for those of you waiting - she's going to see Eric next…**_


	5. Chapter 5

I have no rights to the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I recently read all eight books of the series in one week and couldn't wait until May to think of what might happen with the characters. :) Hope it helps you pass the time as well!

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**Chapter 5**

I had to park a short distance from Fangtasia, since the area of the parking lot in front of their door was covered by a huge tent. I took off my coat and threw it in the car, put my wings on quickly and grabbed my purse and wand. I started toward the elaborate tent, noticing the black swoops and peaks of the roof visible against the dark sky only from the glare of the parking lot lights. The sidewalls of the tent were black with a wide dark red stripe pattern. The entrance was defined with an archway of five black large wrought-iron trellises laced with thick, smooth black and red feather boas. Now this was sexy Halloween decorating. Not a goofy jack-o-lantern in sight.

It was still pretty early (really early for vampires) so the party was just getting started. There was a line forming and a bouncer was checking ID's while a woman was collecting a cover charge from each guest.

Eric had invited me to the party last week (through Pam, of course), but I declined. An hour after I said 'no thank you', I was "summoned" to come anyways.

Fangtasia's Halloween Party was their busiest night of the year and they had quite a few new employees to staff the big event. Pam said with all of the Fellowship of the Sun hullabaloo (okay she didn't use that word) and changes in vampire "royalty" going on, they had upped security for the event. As part of their new security budget, they had allotted $1000 for my compensation for the night. Hard to say no to that. They were probably disappointed I didn't just accept the initial invitation and provide "security assistance" for free.

After Pam's call, I thought maybe Eric made up this security thing as a reason to get me to attend since I had declined the invitation. But that would mean that he really wanted me to be here. I wasn't prepared to accept that as the truth. If he really wanted me to show up that badly, he would have asked me himself. In my mind, he was being shady either way. Either he was conniving because he wanted me there for himself and was trying to buy my time, or he was scheming because he wanted me there for his business and invited me as a guest under false pretenses. I had given him my word that I would help him when he needed me. Plus, I hadn't really made any plans for the night anyways, the vampires had offered me protection and a thousand bucks could definitely be put to good use. It didn't make me happy about the situation, but I felt strangely obligated to be on my best behavior.

I walked quickly to the archway, chastising myself for chucking my coat back in the car. Pam stepped out and spoke to the bouncer. She was dressed in a long black lace dress with a leather bodice_._ She did a little sniff and looked up at me with a pleased grin on her face. "Why Sookie, you look positively delectable." She ran her tongue along her right fang. "You weren't expected for a little while, but Eric was quite certain you would be coming. In that dress; perhaps repeatedly."

I ignored the lewd comment. "Happy Halloween Pam. Can we go in? It's freezing out here."

"Right this way," she said smoothly. "You will be regarded as Eric's personal guest for the evening, so as not to raise any questions of why you are here." She explained. "He will introduce you to the new employees and you are to indicate any troubles you find."

Inside, there were heaters somewhere out of plain view that made it nice and warm. There were dark chandeliers hanging from the tall peaks casting just enough light to see around, but dim enough to keep it mysterious. The perimeter of the tent was set up with a few moveable bars and black leather sofas up on black risers. The corner opposite the entrance had a stage set up for a band with a big dance floor in front. There was a cloth banner that stretched across the back of the stage. It said Fangtasia in jazzy red script with a little "welcomes" below that. Across the rest of the banner it said "the Dead Heads" in decidedly creepy lettering.

In the middle of the tent, there were high top tables with black linens where people were standing with beverages. Each table had a tall red candle holder with a ring of silky black and red feathers at the base and taper candle in it. There were lanterns with candles hanging above the sofas. The full affect was what I might call goth sexy and it must have cost a _fortune_.

I scanned the room as I walked closely behind Pam, my eyes landing at the sofa where Eric was sitting. His blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, showing his cheekbones and a set jaw. He sat in a comfortable manner with one of his arms outstretched on the back of the sofa. Really, the sexy Viking looked like he owned the room.

He was talking to a stocky man with dark features and a mustache. I didn't catch any thoughts from him, but it wasn't like the void of a vampire. The man's eyes were so intense they looked like they could cut glass as they scanned the area attentively.

Pam and I weaved a path to them through the crowd. People were staring at me - and rightly so. Nearly everyone there was dressed in black, with the exception of a vampire in a tiny white nurse outfit. _Not someone I would want drawing my blood at the clinic! _There were some humans dressed in vampire costumes - think Dracula. Most of the crowd was just wearing what you might call 'Vampire Chic;' black leather, bustiers, vests, fishnets and the like. And in I waltz in my bright fuchsia dress and fairy wings. I was putting up a serious barrier because I already felt uncomfortable with all of the hungry eyes.

As we approached Eric, he still hadn't looked up to see us. I felt a warmth pour into my body from my feet to the top of my head. I was sure my face was flushed. It had been a while since I had seen him. He knew I was there.

"Eric, your fairy has arrived." Pam said with a smirk and stepped aside. She just loved the chance to make waves with him and used me to make them whenever she could.

Eric looked up.

When he saw me, Eric sat forward so fast I almost didn't see the movement. Of course he knew I was there before I even parked my car, and yet he looked totally shocked to see me. He eyed the deep V of my dress and my exposed left leg. I saw his fangs come out and felt a whoosh of surprise and desire like an emotional punch in the gut. I took a quick step back.

I could feel the intensity of Eric's longing through the blood bond and it caused a throbbing in me I hadn't felt in quite a while. His blue eyes were filled with desire and stared directly into mine.

"You are..." he paused and I realized I couldn't ever remember _him_ rendered speechless. He recovered impeccably, "…a glimmering ruby in a sea of darkness." He began to look me over slowly now and was undressing me with his eyes. As his gaze fell across each inch of my skin, I could feel his hands carressing me in place of his stare. Everything he thought of doing, I felt. After what seemed like an hour, but was probably 45 seconds, my brain suddenly cleared its throat. _Ahem!_

"Hello Eric," I said quietly. I was still reeling from the silent seduction that had just taken place.

Pam looked amused at the exchange. The "attentive" man next to Eric was too busy looking at everyone else.

After a moment, Eric stood, bringing himself to his glorious full height of six feet and some inches, plus the height of the riser below. Eric was wearing soft black leather pants that would probably feel like butter if I allowed myself to reach out and touch them. He had on a red cashmere v-neck sweater that begged to be carressed.

_Yes, overall I would say he looked undeniably…touchable._

Eric came closer and offered his hand to help me up to the platform. He inhaled and shuddered a little. "Fae" he whispered and his eyes dilated. I had no idea how strong the smell was. But then, Claudine had hugged me today too. I'm sure it was like rubbing vampire pheromones all over me. There was a fierce and almost violent force of craving pulling me to Eric. I had forgotten how dangerous the fairy scent could be.

Then Eric saw my wings for the first time. The intense jarring feelings were replaced by a new joyful glee.

He started laughing. An honest-to-goodness laugh. His eyes were gleaming as he looked at me with disbelief. "My fairy" he said under his breath. "My lover, you are clever, but asking for trouble." _And here I thought I was turning over a new leaf._

"I knew if anyone, _you_ would appreciate it." I said happily. At least someone got the joke. I had a feeling of total validation, his amusement rippling through me.

Pam was beside herself. "Sookie, you really should come in more often. It's just not the same when you're gone." All eyes that had not already been staring at us were looking in our direction now, since the eruption of Eric's laughter.

I found myself shocked to realize that in the back of my mind, I had been dressing for him all along. The anxiousness and excitement had been for this moment. I just wished I could be certain it wasn't only because of the blood bond. It had me constantly questioning everything between us.

Eric's delight reminded me of our time together. It felt so simple and right and if the circumstances would have been different, (like say, him remembering who he was) I would have said we were in love. But things were complicated during and ever since, and we never really talked about it. That should be the proof right there that things weren't meant to be. I mentally flipped the "thinking about my past with Eric" switch to the off position.

_Reality check. This is a business arrangement and you are pretending to be his date. On to the task at hand_. "What can I do for you tonight Eric?" I asked plainly.

His beautiful lips melted into a sly grin and he cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, I can think of _plenty_ of things, my lover" he said suggestively, then in a voice loud enough for his company to hear: "But to start, I'd like to introduce you to someone.

"Mr. Grystrong, this is my _date_, Sookie Stackhouse." With an emphasis on date. I managed to keep a straight face, but I had an urge to stick my tongue out at him. He was milking this for all it was worth.

"This is Mr. Grystrong; head of event security for the evening." No wonder the guy kept looking around like he was trying to memorize every person's face. Once I was closer, I saw that he had a ruddy complexion and a square chin. His nose looked like it was too big for his face and the hair, thick eyebrows and mustache were so black that they looked blue. I started to wonder if he dyed it, but that seemed like it would be pretty troublesome. He was wearing a pair of black dress pants, a black dress shirt and a red necktie with little white fangs on it. I looked around and saw four others dressed just like him throughout the room. Come to think of it, so was the bouncer outside.

I said, "Pleased to meet you" and nearly raised my hand to shake, but it didn't look like he was too receptive to anyone touching him in any manner.

"Yes, you as well," he said distractedly as he raised a two-way radio from his belt and said something inaudible into it.

I questioned Eric, "Why didn't you just have me meet the employees _before_ the big party? It seems like it would have been prudent (my word of the day)to do this _prior to_ the biggest night of the year."

Eric looked at Mr. Grystong, who hadn't heard me, and pulled me aside. "It's a valid question. Many of the new people are here for the first time tonight. We've outsourced the event hiring through a trusted company at the request of the king. In fact, we weren't going to move forward with the party this year at all, but I was _encouraged_ to stick to the tradition." I knew how much Eric hated being overseen. It seemed someone had overstepped his bounds.

"So the new king wanted you to have the party to prove that the change in leadership doesn't change how you do business." I stated more than asked. "And then he forced you to change the way you do business.

"Exactly." He looked relieved that I understood. "I like to be in control of the decisions made to run this place," he waved his hand quickly in the general direction of the building door. "Including the hiring of people who are vital to running and protecting _my_ business." Eric was sharing a lot of information and I wondered whether, if he had anyone else helping him, he would disclose as much.

His face sobered. "You are one of _very_ few people I can trust."

That I didn't expect. He looked almost fragile and after I blinked once, a resolute face had replaced it as he looked over my head. I was wondering if the look had ever been there at all or if it was just a feeling I had.

"I will help you," I said, "I just hope that it is enough. I mean, I can't hear any of the vampires and weres or shifters are pretty hard to read."

"Besides security," he said, "the entire hired staff is human, and there is no real danger that I know of. I need you to use your gift to make sure they are all going to have my best interest at heart. I need to have some control back." He didn't seem to realize that he was setting his so-called control right in my open hands.

"I will keep you safe," he said determinedly. "I'm under oath," he added. I think he meant the second part to add confidence to the statement, but it almost diminished it instead.

_Like if he wasn't under oath, he would cut me and throw me into a vampire mosh pit?_

He gently led me in front of him to the edge of the platform. He stopped before we stepped down and whispered, "You know, I haven't yet had a chance to properly thank you for saving my life." He ran his fingers softly down my neck (over the wings) to the very bottom of my back. I got the chills and I felt my nipples harden.

"Excuse us, Mr. Grystrong, we're going to get a drink." he called and then leaned down a little and said in a silky voice, "The sooner we're through with this, the sooner I get you alone in my office."

_Now I had a reason to dawdle._


	6. Chapter 6

I have no rights to the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I recently read all eight books of the series in one week and couldn't wait until May to think of what might happen with the characters. :) Hope it helps you pass the time as well!

* * *

Eric and I moved through the growing throng of people to the closest bar.

"True Blood and a gin and tonic." Eric said to the bartender. She was a slender, pretty redhead and looked like she was in her mid-thirties. She looked nervous when Eric spoke to her and quickly pulled a True Blood out of some kind of warmer, popped it open and set it on the bar. She mixed my drink and handed it to me.

"Thanks so much," I said with a big smile. Working at a bar for so long definitely helped me to be at ease around new people. That and all of the crazy situations I'd been around lately. I tried to focus in on her thoughts.

_Oh God, there is the owner. I hope I don't spill. His girlfriend looks sweet. What is a nice girl like her doing with a vampire anyway? Well he is damn sexy. If I was going to fuck a vampire it would definitely be with a god like him. _

"How is your night going?" Interrupting her thoughts before I heard anything too raunchy.

"Very well, thank you." She answered politely.

Her thoughts didn't match her vocal response._ I wish I was having a good night. I thought the last guy was going to jump over the bar and bite me. This is almost as bad as serving at that werewolf couple's private full moon wedding. Quinn didn't mention the fact that I would be serving a bunch of hungry bloodsuckers._

I turned to Eric and my face was like stone. I didn't have to look around for long to see Quinn, with all the prowess and poise of a tiger, lifting a huge piece of band equipment near the stage. His firm biceps were showing and his back muscles rippled through his black silk shirt. I fought the urge to hide behind the bar.

"Eric. Your office. Now." I demanded.

"I thought we'd at least get around to see the staff first, but if you insist," he raised his eyebrows.

I was like a grandma speedwalking through a mall as I made my way to the front doors of Fangtastia. I went straight in and down the hallway to the office door, not bothering to turn around to see if Eric was keeping up. Since he was certain I was looking for a quickie, he almost beat me to it.

Eric unlocked the door in a flash, pulled me in by the waist, and locked it swiftly behind us.

His mouth was on mine instantly and his hands were tearing off my wings and then slowly sliding up my back. He slid my dress straps down my shoulders and I groaned, either because his expertise from a thousand years of kissing was blowing my mind or because I remembered this was not the reason I had wanted to come to his office.

_Jury's still out._

I pushed my hand against his chest to protest. I was right, he was touchable. His sweater was soft, but his body was oh so hard. He was probably confused too, because even as I was objecting with my hand, I was swirling my tongue into his mouth to mingle with his.

He withdrew his flawless lips from mine and I had to mentally smack myself to stop from jumping on him.

"My lover, is there a problem?" His smooth voice in my ear, nearly pulling me back to him.

"Yes, there is a _big_ problem." _Ignore the devilish stare._ "Eric, I'm not talking about that." I let out a huge irritated sigh.

"Really?" As if it was an impossibility.

"Why didn't you tell me that Quinn was here?" I asked. _Or that he is running the whole event and will soon find out from the head of security that you and I are "dating."_

Eric took a step back, accepting there was going to be a little more talk and a lot less action going on. He clearly didn't want me talking about Quinn right now. "Who else would plan an event to this scale in a vampire bar in Louisiana?" he squinted questioningly at me. "Surely you knew it was put on by E(E)Events."

"No, I didn't know. And I didn't think about it." I crossed my arms, but it just made my breasts push up and out of the deep v of my dress. Eric was staring hungrily at them so I put my hands on my hips instead and scowled at him.

Eric shrugged. "Based on your history of entanglements with vampires, I would think that he would assume that you would be here. Did _he_ tell you that he would be here?"

"Obviously not. But we haven't talked in a while." Not that it was Eric's business.

"I hardly think it is my obligation to tell you who of your _former_ lovers will be present at any given moment," he said scathingly. "If that is the case, I should inform you that Bill will be here around eleven." He looked away as if he didn't want to see my response.

"Oh, great. We can take roll call!" I said with sarcastic excitement.

Eric snorted. Clearly this conversation was below him. "Would you care to explain what this is really about?"

If the evening progressed the way it was going, everyone at the party (including ex-lover(s)) would think I was his girlfriend. It was bad enough that while Quinn and I were dating, he saw me in the act of initiating a blood bond with Eric and later thought I was breaking up with him to be with Eric.

"Eric, you are marking your territory and using so-called work and a thousand bucks to do it." I said firmly.

He sat down at his desk. _Mr. Cool & Collected._ He put his feet up and crossed one over the other. Oh, that just bugged me even more.

He looked at me with eyes that held fire. "Lover, I don't need to _mark my territory_. You can waste your time with Quinn or Bill if you want to. You can spend your precious mortal hours questioning your future. But, when you come to a conclusion about your heart, you will realize that you want to be with me. I merely hope it doesn't take too long."

I felt like I almost believed him. He was reeling me in again. "Are you trying to glamour me?"

"You know I can't. And I don't need or want to. You will be mine Sookie Stackhouse and it will be by your own decision, not mine. I wouldn't have you any other way."

_There is nothing more irritating that someone who thinks they know you better than you know yourself. _"You're right. My decisions about who I date are up to me and no one else. I don't appreciate you flaunting me about tonight as your _date; _especially because I said "no" to your original invitation _and_ you're paying me to be here. I may as well be wearing a t-shirt that says, _for a great time; call the Sookie Stackhouse telepathic escort line._" I tried to think of what my phone number would be. 1-800-I-_See_-Dead-People?

Eric was trying to hold a grin. He was not succeeding.

"You are so infuriating," I said shaking my head. "Eric, if I'm going to walk up to Bill or Quinn, or _anyone_ for that matter, with you by my side telling them that we are dating, then it damn well better be true." His sexy grin just got bigger as I spoke.

"I have no problem with that," With a victorious smile he stood up and stretched. "I knew you'd come around to my way of thinking. Dating does mean I'll get to see you naked again, right? He raised his eyebrows and looked me over appreciatively as he walked toward me.

I let out an exasperated sigh. This man just knows how to get under my skin. "_If_ we were dating you might, but I haven't agreed to anything here, buddy."

Eric cringed. "I really dislike it when you say that."

"I know," I said flippantly.

He looked thoughtful, "how do you know?"

"Because you get that look every time and I guess I can feel it. It's this whole blood bond thing."

"Can you feel everything I'm feeling?"

"I don't think so, but when I'm around you, I feel…happy." I said reluctantly. "Well, until you start talking that is." I beamed at him.

He blew off my little insult with ease, "So, you credit _all_ this happiness you feel around me to the blood bond?"

"Yes, I do."

"All of it?"

I nodded, though I was unsure once I thought about it. There were other reasons I might be happy around him, but I didn't think that was what gave me the warm fuzzies.

"You realize that I can feel you clearly through the blood bond too."

"Yeah," I said, growing impatient with the continued Q & A.

"Do you also realize that I can tell when you are not being truthful to me?" He asked pointedly.

I was flabbergasted. "Do you think I'm lying to you about something?"

"Your words tell me one thing, but inside, there is a different story. What I'd like to know is if you are intentionally trying to deceive me or if you are lying to yourself as well."

Before I could respond to his ridiculous accusation, a thought came to my head. It was my name. _I know I saw her come this direction. Oh Sookieeeeee, where are you?_ It sounded like a creepy person in a movie calling for someone they're chasing and can't find. I got the chills.

Eric registered my strange look as I turned my head and looked toward the door. He was between me and the closed door in a split second. The image of a gun flew into my brain.

We both looked at the locked doorknob and then at each other. I made a little gun with my hand and mouthed the words "someone looking for me." The doorknob jiggled a little bit. My heart was pounding. This human must not have known I was with a Viking vampire or, if they did, had a serious death wish.

He reached down and squeezed my hand twice. I thought it might be the official hand signal for "I'm going to open this door now and rain the fury of holy hell down on whoever is on the other side."

What happened next followed my recent trend of witnessing something I would never have believed if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

I have no rights to the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I recently read all eight books of the series in one week and couldn't wait until May to think of what might happen with the characters. :) Hope it helps you pass the time as well!

* * *

Eric rammed into the office door and it broke off the hinges as he flew forward. The door hit the person outside and sheer force flung him to the opposite wall. The door fell on the screaming man's feet and then to the ground with a huge crash. The guy looked familiar from the crowd in the tent. He was dressed up as a pirate and had a parrot pinned on his shoulder. He stared at me unblinking in a psychotic rage. If he would have been looking elsewhere, he might have seen his hand being broken while Eric twisted it unnaturally to remove the gun from his grip. The contents of a brown leather bag the guy had been holding emptied and floated like confetti in the air, shimmering like glass.

The pirate was utterly astounded and looked over expectantly at the bird on his shoulder as if it was going to help him. That may have been why Eric showed such restraint and only punched him in the face once. Or more sensibly, he wanted the man alive to find out what he was doing here looking for me.

The man sunk down to the floor unconscious. Eric smoothed down his sweater and looked back at me. "I'll get the handcuffs." Somehow, I was not shocked to hear he had a pair. He winked at me and brushed my shoulder as he walked past. Of course, even as short as it was, Eric was naturally excited about the scuffle. It was brimming over to me through the blood tie and I was riding an adrenaline rush. One wink from him and I was ready to lay him out on his desk and consummate this blood bond right here, right now...door or no door.

I looked down the hallway to make sure that no one else was coming. Then the tiny pieces of confetti started changing color and shape; suspending in midair. They were forming together, similar to a swarm of bees, and I was frozen in place holding the doorframe with a raw anticipation of what was to come.

"Eric," I said very slowly and quietly. He correctly understood that to mean get your ass over here right now, and rushed to my side.

The mass of confetti came together and flew into the mouth of the fake parrot on the guys' shoulder. The parrot blinked once and flew toward the back entrance of the building and with the force of an animal a hundred times its size, blew the door off the hinges. Fangtasia was going to need an increase in their repair budget as well as security.

"What the…" I couldn't even complete my sentence.

As soon as the door was off, six birds flew in. By birds, I mean huge, undead looking owls. They all focused in with red eyes on the man in front of me and landed on him. Yes, the guy whose fake parrot just came to life and broke down a locked metal security door. Their sharp talons and beaks began to pick him apart.

My eyes grew wide. I wasn't typically a squeamish person, but even I couldn't sit there and watch these creepy things eat the man alive. I also didn't know how we could find out why the guy was after me in the first place if he was chomped down to a pile of bones.

I ran back into Eric's office and grabbed a broom from the closet. I was ready to go out and put my expert softball swing to good use when Eric stopped me at the door. He looked at me with danger in his eyes and I felt a fear from him that stopped me in my tracks. Usually when I was feeling uneasy, Eric sent me calm waves through the blood bond, but apparently I wasn't nearly as scared as I should have been. I suddenly felt even more troubled than when I saw flying creatures devouring a live man in front of me.

Eric pushed me into the room and covered the door opening with a huge cabinet, but not before I caught another glimpse of the bloody dismemberment continuing in the hall.

He quickly picked up the phone and pushed a button on speed dial. "Pam. Yes."

He looked up at me. "My lover, it's time to call Niall." I could sense the urgency in his voice.

I realized I was still holding the broom and set it down awkwardly on the floor.

"Pam, there is a group of strix in the hallway devouring a man that was after Sookie. Tell security to keep the human guests out of the building." He looked disturbed, which I did not attribute to witnessing what happened. I was sure he had seen worse and not blinked an eye.

"Yes, he was human." Eric paused to listen to her next question. "Six; three couples."

"I don't know. Pam, block off the hallway from the bar." And he hung up the phone.

I snatched my cell phone from my purse, failing to notice a piece of paper that fell to the floor.

I had saved Niall's number under GG for great grandpa, but memorized the last digit and left it off, just in case my phone ever got into the wrong hands. I was certain it was an unnecessary precaution, but it made me feel clever.

"Eric, what is going on…what the hell just happened here? What were those…birds?" I looked at the blocked off entrance and pushed send. "Why are we calling Niall? Why aren't you calling security in?" I couldn't quite come to grips with the situation, which was unlike me. This must be coming from Eric. I looked at him. He was staring at me or staring through me. This was really bad.

"Sookie, we are going to need some help. Now."


	8. Chapter 8

Good as Dead

I have no rights to the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I recently read all eight books of the series in one week and couldn't wait until May to think of what might happen with the characters. :) Hope it helps you pass the time as well! This is my first fanfic attempt. Enjoy!!!

**

* * *

**

I was impatiently holding the phone to my ear and glancing up at Eric as he stared at me. After about six rings, someone picked up. "Greetings," an overly cheerful woman's voice called into my ear. It was like having someone talking in singsong voice to you before you had your morning coffee. Irritating.

"Is this the number for Niall Brigant?" I said in my most business-like tone.

"Why it certainly is." She said sweetly. "May I ask who is calling, please?" I could hear her smiling into the phone.

"This is Sookie Stackhouse and I'm afraid I don't have time for a string of formalities. I need Niall's help. Immediately."

"I see," She said in a lower octave, still sugary. "Niall is…not available, Ms. Stackhouse. Perhaps Claudine can help you this time?"

"Lady, I'm stuck in a room with a vampire. If by chance my fanged friend would be able to resist her, the half dozen flesh-eating owls outside the door might not."

She gasped. "Strix." She said in a low scared voice. I had knocked the happy right out of her. "Dear, I will do everything I can to find Niall as soon as possible." She sounded suddenly worried, "we haven't been in contact for a couple of days."

The one time I really need him and he's…unavailable?! I smacked my phone shut and slammed it on the table.

Eric flew over and put his hands on either side of my face. His voice was steady. "He's not coming." He was saying it to me, but I felt he needed to say it out loud to register it as the truth to himself.

"He's _unavailable_." I said, clearly irritated.

I could feel the wheels turning in his head. Anticipation was building within him. "Either they captured him or he is in hiding."

He sprung to action without bothering to find out how this statement would make me feel. It was better that my great grandfather wasn't just ignoring me because he was playing badminton or something, but I didn't want to think of him in trouble either.

"Who would he be hiding from?" Preferring to go with the option that meant he wasn't captured.

Eric retrieved two stakes, a huge sword and a gun from a hidden chamber in the closet. _Whoa._ He looked at me with determination. He was speaking clearly and quickly. "Lover, those _birds_ will likely come after you when they are finished with their appetizer out there. That man is merely a catalyst and a distraction." He handed a wooden stake to me. It was smooth and darker toward the pointy side. Ugh. I wondered if it was the same one he used to kill Longshadow.

"That didn't answer my question." I said bluntly. He put the gun in my left hand. I thought about what I must look like in my low-cut pink fairy dress and silver shoes; holding a stake in one hand and a gun in the other. Even with the obvious severity of the situation I tittered.

Eric grabbed my shoulders and snapped me back to reality. "Sookie, the strix must be killed before they shift."

"What the hell could they shift into that is scarier than that?!" Actually, I didn't think I really wanted to know.

He pushed my hair behind my ears. His piercing blue eyes were resolute. He was preparing me for battle.

"They're very powerful magical beings. The strix will shift into human form. Although human, they will have access to charms and spells I wouldn't be able to fight. I haven't seen one in five hundred years. If their leader arrives while they are still alive..." He stopped and suddenly kissed me. The Viking was so powerful, but I felt a soft spot in his heart. And I knew it was for me. "My lover, it is just the two of us and I need you to be…really strong. Please don't argue with me." He bit his wrist and the blood started slowly beading up.

I looked at his arm, trying to find an argument that made sense. Then I heard a scratching on the other side of the doorway. I hurriedly put my mouth over the two holes and started to suck the sweet blood into my mouth.

He was enjoying it immensely. I could feel the eagerness of the impending fight in his blood. He put his head down to my shoulder and kissed. It was like a small explosion took place on my shoulder and the aftershocks were sent throughout and down my body. I had a feeling this exchange was not doing anything to weaken the blood bond.

"May I?" he asked, his fangs gently grazing my skin.

I removed my mouth from his arm and turned my face towards his and licked my lips. He did look a little pale. Or at least that was my excuse for giving in so easily. "Okay. Fast." I gasped as he punctured my skin and drew a little blood. When he was done he licked my shoulder to make sure it would heal and kissed it.

The scratching became more incessant. The adrenaline that started moving through me made me feel like a seasoned warrior. Eric and I withdrew from each other and I gripped my stake and gun and stood ready.

Eric moved steadily, holding his sword and I stood back a few feet. He went to the side of the doorway and kicked the cabinet sideways to unblock the entrance. The first strix came through the door and as it flew in, Eric swiftly came down with the sword and decapitated it. As it landed, the remaining five came in one after the other. Eric swung at one feathered creature and the next came flying toward me with its huge wings flapping the air and red eyes focused on me. I've been good at shooting clay pigeons on a range before, but this moving target was coming right toward me. I aimed with one hand and shot the strix, feathers flying all over. _Two down, four to go! _I saw another land at Eric's feet, on top of a strix that had already changed back to human form. _Make that three._

I heard my cell phone ring and unnecessarily yelled "_leave a message_!" as I swung the stake in a wide arc toward another of the strix. It flew above me and landed on my head. The talons were digging into my scalp. I screamed and wildly thrust the stake up above my head. I must have just nicked a wing judging by the feathers flying and the continued scraping. I saw Eric stake the only one left near him and fly toward me. The familiar gloppy and clicking noises of shifting started behind the desk.

The huge strix on my head started pecking at my shoulder where Eric had bitten me. I yelled loudly in pain and dropped the stake. I used my suddenly free hand to grab the bird's two legs. Its beak was tearing at my hand while I ripped it off my head and swung it like a baseball bat toward Eric. He veered the sword over his head and cut the strix in half in midair. I beamed at him. Eric looked at me with pure hunger in his eyes.

"Eric, one shifted." I whispered.

She rose from behind the desk, her long white hair shielding her breasts. The only thing unchanged from her transformation was the red color of her eyes. I could smell the magic radiating from her petite body.

"You have put up quite a fight." She did not sound impressed. "I will avenge their deaths now," she said matter-of-factly and waved her hand.

"You, Viking, come here." She curved her index finger at Eric. Her other hand grabbed the stake that Eric had pulled out of the closet. He moved toward her and I hoped he would annihilate the creepy chick as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, I couldn't feel Eric's presence at all. It was as if I never had his blood before in my life. The tie was gone.

I felt like I was functioning normally, aside from feeling like I was missing a piece of myself. It was like waking up and finding your hand was missing. His strength and confidence was gone. His courage, fears and love vanished. I had no tie to him; I had no need to protect him. There was nothing throbbing within me from him to save his life. If she killed him, the blood bond would be over, Eric would be gone and I wouldn't have to think about him again.

Eric stood right in front of her. She had captured him in some kind of spell and cut me off. He wasn't moving and my heart was aching. I started to feel sick to my stomach and it wasn't from the bodies strewn about. She quickly pulled the stake above her head, ready to plunge it into my lover's heart.

I raised the gun and shot her in the chest.

Eric's essence blew back into me like a meteor. She crumpled to the floor and then I followed suit.


	9. Chapter 9

Good as Dead

I have no rights to the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I recently read all eight books of the series in one week and couldn't wait until May to think of what might happen with the characters. :) Hope it helps you pass the time as well! This is my first fanfic attempt. Enjoy!!!

* * *

I opened my eyes and saw Niall standing over me, glowing in his ethereal and masculine beauty. He looked like an angel. "Am I dead?"

"No dear, impressively, you are not dead," he said with some relief.

"Where is Eric?" I looked around. I was lying on the sofa in Eric's office. There was no evidence in the room that there had been a struggle such as the one that had taken place. I had a growing concern that I had too many gin and tonics or had a bad fall, and it was all a crazy, crazy dream. Then I saw the door was still missing and my dress was torn along the slit and realized the dream theory wasn't the case.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't be here sooner. I was required to go away," he said regretfully. "I had no idea anyone had found out about you or I would have taken you with me."

I pictured us in a fairy land hiding out in an elaborate tree fort. "It's okay," I smiled at him. "When did you get here? What did I miss?"

"I arrived shortly after the strix leader. He won't be bothering anyone again," my great grandfather assured me.

"Well, that's good and all, but who was he and why was he after me?" I asked.

"He thought you would be a good bargaining tool to get to me. With the power I have, great enemies surface. He was one of them, but is no more." He looked at me with finality. Somehow I knew that was all the information I was going to get, but at least I knew why and that the current issue was closed.

"Where is Eric?" I asked. Then I felt him coming.

"Right here," he said as he strode into the room tall and proud. Eric looked down at me with a mix of emotions.

Niall turned to me and said, "I must go tend to some things." I nodded and he vanished. _Quite an exit_. I really couldn't say I was sad to see him go.

Eric leaned down and kissed my forehead and then he snuggled in next to me on the couch. His feet were hanging off the edge. He brushed my hair back and looked at me thoughtfully. "You're a hell of a bird fighter."

I laughed. I don't know what I had expected him to say, but it wasn't that. "You're not so bad yourself. But you really need to work on those witchy-types," I teased.

"You're more spellbinding than any witch I've come across," he smiled lazily and traced his finger along my arm. He took my hand and brought it up to his mouth and kissed my palm. It was so intimate, my body was tingling with his every touch.

He propped his head up on his fist. "Did anything happen to you when the strix changed?"

I paused, wondering if I should tell him. Then decided there was no reason not to. "I lost you. The blood bond was gone," I felt sick just thinking of it. "You were just standing there and she was going to kill you, so I shot her." I winced. "What happened to you?"

"The blood tie was gone and I couldn't move other than to walk toward her. I have thought before that if the tie was gone I would be free of these emotions inside of me. That I wouldn't…care so much for you."

"I've thought the same thing too," I admitted.

"But once it was gone, I thought I had really lost you." He stroked my cheek.

"It's not just the blood bond," I said aloud because we both needed to hear it.

Eric smiled, "It's not just the blood bond." He leaned in and kissed me like only Eric can. Then he pulled back and looked into my dreamy eyes. He asked me seriously, "Sookie, will you be my date tonight?"

He caught me completely by surprise. It was hard to imagine a party continuing on after what had happened within the doors of the building. It seemed like days had past since I walked through the door. It was a cruel snap back to reality and I remembered why we had come into the office in the first place.

I sighed. "On one condition. You can't pay me." I was suddenly dating him and he didn't have to pay me. What a turn of events.

"I will still pay you for your _work_. I'm not paying you for spending time with me, but rather for your talents that are indispensible to me and my company." He grinned. "The other talents I have been recalling are private and will be compensated graciously behind closed doors."

"There are no closed doors to be found here." I reminded him. "We better get back out there and start our big date before everyone starts missing their _master_." Plus if we were going to make it to the party before it was over, we were going to have to leave before he kissed me one more time.

Security had been guarding the doors of the building for an hour and a half and as we emerged, they disbursed. Everyone was looking at us. The only bathroom they were using for the event was inside. Of course none of the vampires needed it, but all of the humans – the ones whose minds I could read - were not so happy. Especially when they thought they were "holding it" so the owner could have his way with me all over the bar. The rip in my dress was allaying any doubt. My whole body blushed.

People started rudely pushing past us.

Eric looked around and scratched the back of his neck. An action that made him appear oddly human. He figured out what everyone was thinking as well. He could tell it made me uncomfortable, but he was far from embarrassed.

Especially when Bill stepped forward.

Bill nodded. "Eric."

"Bill," If it is possible to gloat with one word, Eric did it.

Bill looked at my dress and then at Eric coldly before turning his attention back to me. "Hello Sookie." Although he was always so cautious of decorum, I figured he really wanted to launch himself at Eric and kill him on the spot. "How are you?"

"Oh Bill. I'm fine!" I said the word fine a little higher than I had intended and flashed my tight nervous smile.

Quinn appeared over Bill's shoulder and gave me a stare that spoke a thousand words. I couldn't change anything. There was no way to go back and erase everything that had happened or not happened over the course of our relationship. It was seriously over and we both knew it. If he had been weighing his options with me, seeing me walk out with Eric definitely tipped the scales. All I could do was send a half-smile his way and hope he could see there were no regrets.

Bill went off to get a drink and Eric led me back to his sofa along the wall.

There were still quite a few people staring at us and many who were pretending not to as they looked around the room. Eric regularly had the attention of a room, but I wasn't used to it. Often at Fangtasia, he would simply sit for people to admire him. I'm sure it helped business. A lot. Women and men alike would offer their bodies and blood to him.

I didn't expect it to happen while I was sitting with him. A woman stepped up to the platform and kneeled at Eric's feet. She was a gorgeous woman by anyone's standards. She had loosely curled brown hair, smoky eyes and full lips. Her body looked perfect as well and she was showing it all off in a black skintight catsuit that was cut all the way down to her navel. It was obvious she had nothing on underneath. All that and offering herself to my date, I pretty much hated her immediately.

"Master," she said breathily. She brushed her hair back as she arched her long neck to the side.

"Woman, do not approach me. I have a date." Eric said with little emotion.

"She can't give you everything that I can." She pouted with her pretty lips. I had the urge to smack them right off her face. She was broadcasting her argument loudly.

_This bitch can't give you what you need. She's too proud. Too arrogant. She wouldn't even claim you as her own. She's just a prude with no bite marks._

I was convinced that either or both of them would cause a scene if another comment was made. After the night I had so far, I didn't feel like dealing with another scene. And I felt brave. Perhaps even bold.

I leaned into Eric and put my hand on his thigh. I looked the brunette right in the eye as I ran my hand very slowly all the way up his leg. I figured she'd be keen on vampire lingo. "He's mine."

She blanched.

Suddenly I felt like the sex queen of the universe. Maybe it was Eric's reaction through the blood bond, but I was in rare form. I couldn't see his face, but I could feel a definite response where my hand lay. And it was a big response. I turned to see his cool blue eyes glowing. They were filled with an indescribable mix of joy, pride and desire unlike anything I've ever seen. Surely he was going to lay me down right there.

Now, I'm not big on public displays of affection, but that night at the Fangtasia Halloween party, it was like the whole world froze. His confidence and desire echoed through me and his eyes never left mine. I turned toward him and pulled my right leg up under me to kneel on the sofa. I was looking into his eyes as I ran my hands up his chest and around his neck, leaning in and pressing my breasts against his chest.

Eric couldn't hide the shock and yearning that was registering on his face. I leaned in slowly and kissed him as if I were going for a gold medal. He gathered all of my hair into his hand and pulled slowly to bring my head back, exposing my neck. I closed my eyes and moaned as he licked from my collarbone to my jawline.

His mouth made its way to mine and kissed me with the intensity of a sex-starved Viking. Then he pulled back and licked slowly across my lips. I shuddered. I could feel myself aching for him. My whole body was buzzing and I couldn't sit there for another second. I was going completely stir-crazy. His hand was working its way from my waist up to my breast.

"Eric," I whispered frantically. "We have to get out of here." I was pleading.

"Eric," Pam interrupted in a delighted tone. "You need to leave." I took my eyes off of Eric to look at Pam who had a giant grin on her face. If I didn't know better, I would think she was feeling the blood bond as well.

"Yes." He looked like he was thinking hard. Maybe he was reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in his head so he could stand up without causing a riot.

The beautiful brunette was still there. She was pretty turned on herself.

"I'll take care of this whore." Pam glared at the woman. "Eric, you two are going to incite an orgy or a feeding frenzy if you don't go. I will handle everything for the rest of the night. We have plenty of minions to help."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Good as Dead

I have no rights to the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I recently read all eight books of the series in one week and couldn't wait until May to think of what might happen with the characters. :) Hope it helps you pass the time as well! This is my first fanfic attempt. Enjoy!!!

Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them- in fact they make my day. I realize now that the story took a slow ramp up in the first few chapters while I got used to being in Sookie's head, so to speak. Thanks for staying with me for the long haul! Also, I'm sorry if any of my cliffhangers were cruel. I hope I'm getting the hang of this more and getting better.

In case you haven't figured it out, huge Eric lover here! *raises hand*

Caution: Gracious plenty ahead :)

"I'll take care of this whore." Pam glared at the woman. "Eric, you two are going to incite an orgy or a feeding frenzy if you don't go. I will handle everything for the rest of the night. We have plenty of minions to help."

*

Eric stood up from the sofa and swept me up into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and tucked my head into his shoulder, a little of my embarrassment creeping in, as we made our way through the, ah, frustrated crowd. The band started up and caught everyone's attention as we went through Fangtasia and out the back door (that was currently being reattached by some vampire repair guy). I had a moment's regret that we weren't staying to dance. Eric's red corvette was parked out back and he eased me into the passenger seat. He kissed me as he fastened my seat belt and then I drew a slow breath with my eyes closed. "It's too far to my house unless this thing can fly." I said plainly.

He got in and started the car. "I'd like to take you to my house," Eric reached down and took my hand in his much larger one. "If you are willing."

_Oh, I'm willing alright. _I squeezed his hand, "Yes."

We drove in silence, but there was an electric current running through our hands and the emotion in the car was palpable.

We got off the highway and started down a road, fewer businesses and homes visible, then no street lamps to illuminate what was beyond the headlights. We crossed a set of railroad tracks and a couple of bridges. I could see a lake out of Eric's window. He turned left and we arrived at a wrought iron gate with a crest on it. He opened his window, entered a code into a small pad outside and the gate opened for us to drive through.

The woods were surrounding us as we went down the long winding drive to a clearing. A large A-frame log cabin was set against a backdrop of the moon shining down on the lake. There was a small shed-like building and a big pole barn to the side with a series of garage doors; one that was opening for us. Honestly, it all looked pretty modest for my impression of how rich Eric is.

The "garage" was exceptionally clean and mostly empty besides a boat trailer and a shiny, black Escalade. Some of the sexual energy started calming down as I grew a little nervous about seeing Eric's place for the first time.

We got out of the car and walked toward the house. There were pine trees along the flagstone path. Everything earthy smelled wonderful and familiar through Eric.

"I've never brought a human here before," Eric told me as we stepped up onto a huge deck overlooking the lake.

"Never?" I was shocked.

"Never. I admit, I have another place I've taken people, but this is my sanctuary," he looked out over the water.

I felt honored and a little scared as I realized the heightened significance of being there. I rubbed my hands over my arms, getting chilly in the night air.

"Come in," he said as he swung open the door. He didn't have to tell me twice. I walked through the door and he went straight for the stone fireplace and started placing logs in it. The house looked more like a North Country retreat than a vampire haven to me.

The living room had vaulted ceilings with exposed logs and beams. The stone chimney of the fireplace went all the way up to the ceiling where it was flanked with two huge windows. Everything seemed to be wood, leather and glass. There was a nice kitchen with state of the art appliances Eric probably never used, and a dining area with a table that looked like a huge slab of a tree. The place was rugged, masculine and modern all at the same time. Kind of like its owner.

I sat down on the brown leather sofa and Eric wrapped a quilt around my shoulders. The fire was growing and warming up the room quickly.

"Is there somewhere I could get cleaned up?" I asked him and looked down at myself. I couldn't believe I hadn't even looked in a mirror since Eric and I had finished our little strix battle. I momentarily debated the dangers of contracting the Asian bird flu from the nasty things.

He gave me a classic Eric look. "Of course, I will prepare a bath for you." I watched him as he went down a hallway between the kitchen and a set of stairs that went up to a loft. _Hate to see you go, but love to watch you walk away. _I smiled.

I laid my head on the arm of the couch and stared into the fire. It had been quite a long day and I was pretty tired. I thought of just closing my eyes, but I knew if I slept now I would wake up in the morning and Eric would be good as dead. And I had no car, no way to get out of here. I sat up. What was I supposed to do, eat squirrels from outside? Drive Eric's corvette to the corner store?

I scrambled to my feet to look in the kitchen. I opened the fridge to find two full shelves of True Blood. _No shocker there. _But, there were also eggs, a full gallon of milk, orange juice, vegetables, fruit and a few other staples. The freezer held steaks and ice cream. I opened the cupboards to find coffee and sugar, some baking ingredients, canned goods (yikes – pickled herring?) and boxes of cereal.

I looked up to see Eric looking at me with a furrowed brow as I stood there; the fridge, freezer and every single cupboard door in his kitchen wide open.

My mouth fell open. I must have looked like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I felt like a crazy snoop. _A very suspicious, crazy snoop._

"I thought you said you never had humans here," I said crossing my arms and standing up straighter; trying to retain some of my dignity.

Eric closed the doors I'd left ajar and then pushed himself up to sit on the granite countertop. Anything else might have buckled under his brawny body.

"That is correct," he raised his eyebrows as if to challenge me to ask another question.

"Well, then what is all this food doing here?" _Is he lying to me?_ _Did he have this planned all along?_

"After the strix were gone, Niall and I decided it was best for you to stay with me for a short while."

"So, I wasn't to have any say in the matter," I snapped.

"I told him I would keep you safe, but I wouldn't force you to do anything you didn't want to do," he said slowly. "You did agree you were willing to come here."

I rolled my eyes.

"Once we were certain you would be okay, Niall watched over you while I sought provisions for you here." He looked pointedly at me. "_Just in case_."

Somehow I couldn't see him sending anyone but Pam on such a personal errand. "You sent Pam in the middle of the Halloween party to buy groceries _just in case_ I came here?"

"No, I didn't send Pam. I went to the store and brought everything here myself while you were incapacitated," he explained.

Now that was a shocker. "You brought them? _You_ went to a store and bought food." I was flabbergasted.

I pictured the tall, blonde and sexy vampire at the grocery store. Eric dutifully pushing a shopping cart; strolling along with his manly viking gait past the deli. I could just hear the gasps and sighs of on-looking ladies in the bakery department.

"You pushed a cart around a grocery store?"

"Yes." He looked thoughtful. "It had a bad wheel." I broke into a huge grin.

"And you got me coffee."

"Yes, and sugar," he added with confidence. I had to press my lips together to stop myself from tearing up or laughing. He continued, "A lot goes into selecting these food items. Did you know you have to open the carton of eggs to make sure they aren't cracked?"

I pictured a nosy lady in the dairy section telling Eric he needed to check his eggs.

My smile broke open and I turned into a fit of giggles. I could just see him in line with his little wobbly cart, reading US Weekly. A tear streamed down my face as I laughed.

He looked at me like I had completely lost my marbles. "What is so funny?"

"You..." _Whoo. Deep breath._ "…picking out eggs."

"I remember you had eggs at your house," he looked a little miffed, so I clamped my lips together, but the corners of my mouth wanted to curve upward.

_Eric went to the grocery store for me. He remembered what kind of food was in my house. _"The eggs are great. Thank you, that really is so sweet." I thought maybe calling him sweet would be emasculating and shut my mouth. He already thought I was laughing at him. But then again, he had been making plans for my safety without talking to me and was banking on the fact I would come to his house. More irritating than that, was the fact that he was right. I had willingly come. "Very, very sweet of you."

"Sweet?" Rather than being put off as I expected, he flashed a smug look. "If I recall correctly, the last time you thought I was sweet, we were making love every night." _Checkmate._

I still wondered if I could get a copy from the grocery store's surveillance tapes just to see it first-hand. "Eric, I'm really sorry for snooping through your kitchen. That was…"

"Don't apologize," he interrupted and shook his head. "I want you to treat my home as your home," he pushed off the counter. "In this kitchen, I only use two shelves of the refrigerator and the microwave. You can take full ownership of the rest."

"Okay," I said in a non-committal way.

"Your bath is ready," he whispered as he took my hand.


	11. Chapter 11

Eric led me down the hallway and into what was supposed to be his bathroom, but I would call it more of a woodsy spa. He closed the door behind us and it was nice and warm. It was also the size of a huge bedroom. The outer walls were exposed logs and another wall was floor to ceiling mirrors. I wouldn't have expected anything less from Eric. There was a giant glass enclosed shower and a door to a separate little room that I assumed housed a toilet.

The only light was the soft glow of candles placed around the room. They lined a long wooden bench, the countertop and the back of the tub.

Eric turned me to face him. "May I help you disrobe?"

I was thinking I could probably handle it on my own, since I got it on just fine, but I found myself nodding at him anyways.

He stepped forward and slid his fingers under the straps of my dress, his touch igniting my skin. "You look beautiful tonight." I self-consciously looked in the mirror to check for feathers in my hair.

In the mirror, a woman looked back at me that I didn't even know. She was radiant; a billow of blonde hair and smoky eyes. A tall Viking god was looking down at her endearingly, pulling the straps of her dress down and kissing her neck as she arched her body toward him. Her dress parted at the slit as she lifted her knee and he was sliding his hand along her thigh, under the fabric and around to her backside. This woman was strong, sexy and…yielding.

The Viking met my eyes in the mirror. "You are unbelievably sexy."

"So are you," I said honestly and bit my lip.

Eric whispered into my ear, "Since I first laid eyes on you in this dress, I couldn't wait to rip it off of you." I could feel my eyes growing wide as he literally grabbed the fabric of the skirt between us and started tearing it upward; finishing what the earlier tear in the slit had started. _Good thing Amelia didn't want this dress back._

He threw the fabric to the floor and I was left in my white lace thong and nothing else. He dropped his head to my neck and kissed down to one breast while his hand cupped the other. His thumb teased one nipple, while his tongue swirled around the other. Then he bit tenderly and I hissed, taking a breath in through my teeth.

His perfect mouth came as close as touching mine, when he pulled back and used his tongue to moisten my lips, pulling its rough wetness slowly across from one side to the other.

I slid my hands around to his backside. His leather pants were soft and supple, but everything underneath them was hard and chiseled. I pulled him toward me and felt his stiffness against me. I stifled a moan.

His hand moved down my stomach and I knew where he was headed. He slid his fingers into my panties and down to feel the wet evidence of his effect on me. He unhurriedly pushed his fingers into me as he slid his tongue into my mouth simultaneously, again and again. Eric gently and slowly ran the wet tip of his finger against my nub and started licking my upper lip in the same slow rhythm. Then he picked up the pace. My broken breaths and moans filled the room. I moved my hands up his back and felt my nails digging into his skin. He suddenly withdrew his fingers from inside me and pulled my panties down my legs.

"Even after all this time, I still remember exactly how you taste." Eric looked at me intently as he brought his hand to his mouth and licked his fingers. I was dazed as he picked me up and set me on the edge of the counter. He knelt on the floor and kissed my knees and ran his hands up the outside of my thighs. When he started nibbling and licking along my inner thigh, I spread my legs wider as he worked his way up. He licked and kissed my inner thigh, the crease of my legs and around to my stomach, avoiding the aching place I longed for him to please. When he came back to my knees and started again, I whimpered and put my hand in his hair to pull him closer. He licked along the crease of my leg again, just so close. The other side; so close. I was wiggling my body. He was driving me crazy.

"Eric. _Please._" I was wound like a top.

"Should I taste you again?" he asked and licked his lips. He teased around again.

"Yes, now. _Please, please now_." Finally his tongue met the place of my hunger and he lapped slowly, running the length of his tongue leisurely up and down. I held my breath as his rhythm quickened and he returned his fingers inside of me while his tongue flicked my nub. I could feel the build-up of pleasure about to peak.

"Eric," I breathed. "Taste me." He looked in my eyes as his mouth worked its magic.

"_Taste me._" I felt my mouth widen as I took a sharp breath. He licked me once more and I gripped the edge of the counter as he bit into my thigh. I gasped as I threw my head back. Waves of contentment rippled repeatedly through my body and my legs started to twitch. _Oh my Viking god!_ I was panting and Eric watched me as he ran his tongue across a couple more times, eliciting aftershocks that shook my whole body.

He stood and his hands went behind my head; gently lifting my hair, pulling me in to kiss him. I could taste myself on his tongue. He grabbed my backside and pulled me against the hard length in his pants, producing yet another quick shot of electricity through me. I made an "mmmm" sound and put my head to his shoulder and grazed it with my teeth.

I reached for the button of his pants, but Eric stepped back and lifted me off the counter to the tub. He lowered me down to the edge and held my hand as I climbed in. The tub could have fit four people in it. Bubbles covered the surface of the water and the smell of fresh rain and cedar mingled in the air. I leaned back and watched him with great interest as he slowly removed his shirt, his muscles flexing as he brought it over his head.

He grinned wickedly as he toyed with the buttons of his pants. "More?" He raised his eyebrows in question.

I grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

He unbuttoned his pants and turned around so I had a view of his first-class rear end as he slid them off. He saw my appreciative reaction in the mirror and turned around to face me and get an even bigger reaction. It had definitely been a while since I had taken the _gracious plenty_ out to play. After my eyes widened, I had to avert them to somewhere else, anywhere else. I actually raised my hand up to my mouth and bit the knuckle of my thumb. My gaze finally settled on his face, which was radiating with satisfaction at having unhinged me so. You would think after my racy display in front of an entire crowd at Fangtasia I wouldn't be so coy alone here with Eric.

Alas, I decided to get reacquainted with said gracious plenty as soon as he stepped his feet into the tub. "Why don't you have a seat?" I asked, and he sat on the edge of the deep tub.

I kept my eyes on him as I replicated his torturous arousal.

I started at his knees and kissed up the inside of his thighs, running my hands along the outside. I licked the creases of his legs and below and all around the base of his shaft, never touching the enticing erection at the center of all of this. He was licking his lips at me.

I stood and kissed up his chiseled stomach, rubbing my breasts; slippery with bubbles along the throbbing length of him. I continued upward and gently brought my teeth to his nipples. I slid my body against him as I brought my tongue across his lips and fangs. When his tongue entered my mouth, I sucked it gently.

Eric grabbed my ass urgently and started to pull me on top of him, but I shook my head. As much as I wanted to get right on and ride him, I wasn't finished yet. He was going to beg too.

I moved my slick body back down, surrounded his gracious plenty with my breasts and licked its head like a lollipop, curving my tongue and slowly licking it all the way down; coming back up with my breasts squeezed tightly against him. The next time, I put just the tip in my mouth and sucked briefly before replicating his earlier move of starting the whole act over again and returned to his knees. He looked at me with disbelief. "Oh no, no" he said. He leaned forward and put his hands in my hair.

I gave him a little lick. "You have to say please," I teased.

"Please put my huge cock in your mouth," Eric said in a low sexy voice.

Rather than balk at the wording of his request, I found it made me even more eager.

"Gladly," I said slowly, and licked up and down his shaft once before I plunged it all the way into my mouth. He made a very appreciative noise. I could feel his satisfaction through the bond and it was exciting me almost as much as when he had his mouth on me.

I used both of my hands to grasp, explore and fondle while my mouth was dipping up and down. The weight of his hands on my head, entangled in my hair made it feel even sexier.

"Sookie," he practically growled. I saw him close his eyes and turn his head up. "Oh. You are incredible."

"Mmmm hmm." I moved faster. Every move, I could feel pleasure running through my own body as I pleased him.

"Lover, I need to be inside of you. Now."

After a final lick, I eased my way on top of him and took his whole length inside of me, gasping loudly as he filled me up. Eric yelled out my name.

He held me around my back and slid us down into the bath. He leaned back against the tub and I kissed him; our tongues wrestling and dancing. I moved my body to the point I had almost pulled off of him and then slid all the way back down, both of us crying out.

I looked in his blue eyes and knew he was experiencing the same thing I was. If having him nearby made me happy and warm, taking him inside of me now was bliss and fire. Our connection to each other through our bond was so powerful; it was as if we could feel each others' reaction in ourselves.

We rhythmically moved together and kissed passionately. Our love making was a cyclical motion, one person's enjoyment spilling onto the other's; drowning in a whirlpool of delight. Each touch was revolving; every action, a reaction. We touched and stroked, gripped and panted, moving together in sensuous harmony.

Finally, I was caught in a tornado. Eric and I climaxed together, a whirlwind of rapture, whipping from my feelings to his, every effect doubled as we felt each other's pinnacle of ecstasy. Colors flashed behind my eyes and the air felt thick with passion.

We were both shaking and grasping on to one another desperately. After a moment, Eric pulled me away a little so he could see my face. We looked into each other's eyes in marvel. There were no words. Only a single unchecked tear rolled down my cheek.

Eric leaned back against the tub and pulled me close as we sank lower into the water. I was still wrapped around him and I laid my head on his chest. My eyes started to well up. I thought with the water surrounding us, he wouldn't feel my tears as they started to drop one by one onto his chest, but he tucked his finger under my chin and brought my face to look at him. I was sure my expression held remorse, but it was for my senseless crying and nothing else.

He kissed away my tears and looked at me tenderly. "I love you too," he said.

My wet, shining eyes were filled with unconcealed adoration of this man, this vampire, who had stolen my heart not so very long ago and never truly returned it.


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks so much for all of the great reviews from the previous chapters! I hope you enjoy these as well. Feel free to let me know!

* * *

We lay in Eric's tub clinging to one another for a while. He moved to wash my back and I started awake. I had fallen asleep. Wet tendrils of my hair were sticking to his chest.

"You must be tired," he said. I had no idea how long we had been in there, but my hands were awfully wrinkly.

"Honestly, I was tired before we even got to your house. After…" I smiled lazily as I made a circling motion with my finger encompassing the counter and tub. "…all _that_, I am completely exhausted."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he flashed a toothsome grin. The water was draining and Eric pulled a red towel around me that was so soft, I exhaled happily as it landed against my skin.

I stood up a little uneasily, my legs still shaky. Eric wrapped a robe around me and a towel around his waist. Geez Louise, he would look good in a gunny sack. I couldn't resist running my hand down his tight abs and running a finger just under the top of the towel.

"Like to see more?" He smirked at me, "Of the house, I mean."

He led me across the hallway into another giant room – his bedroom. Eric pushed a couple of buttons on the wall by the door. Dim lights came on and in the far corner; a fire came to life in a gas fireplace with a chunky raw wood mantel. Above it hung and a giant flat screen TV and floor to ceiling bookshelves surrounded them. A sitting area was before the fire, with a brown leather settee, a dark green chair and an ottoman, all beautifully worn and featuring nail-head trim.

There were large beveled mirrors hung on the walls with draperies that gave the illusion of windows, but none were actually in the room. The piece demanding the most attention was a huge carved four post bed. Heavy olive green velvet was draped across the top frame and hung down in panels gathered back for our entry.

I started to move toward the bed which was begging me to lay down in it, but Eric stopped me. "Lover, come here."

I turned to see him pushing some buttons on the pad near the door. "If you're going to try to show me how to operate some fancy fireplace, I'm not interested right now."

"The fireplace operation is simple, but that is not what I am showing you." He put out his hand for me to stand by him. "I would like you to share my bed for as long as you are comfortable, but you will likely rise before I do. This room is extremely secure."

"Okay," I said as a question more than a statement.

"I need to program your thumbprint into the system."

I looked at him like he was from Mars, though I'm not sure why I was so surprised. "You have a thumbprint recognition system? Do vampires even have fingerprints?" Something I admit, I hadn't given much thought.

"Right now, my print and Pam's are the only thing that will open this sleeping chamber."

I was too tired to think about security systems and undead thumbprints. I gave him an incredulous look and the thumbs up. He pulled my hand toward the glowing blue pad and pressed my shortest digit against it for a few seconds.

I couldn't help but think that this definitely increased the chances that I would be found dead somewhere missing my thumbs. But, no time for those thoughts. He pulled my hand to his mouth, kissed my thumb and then licked the groove between my index and middle finger. Along with his smoldering look, the rough wetness shot a shiver from my finger to where his mouth had been earlier that night. Likely anytime I saw that tongue for the rest of my life I would be thinking of his oral talents.

He led a trail of kisses and artful licks up my arm, then up my neck and nibbled on my ear. He pulled my earlobe into his mouth.

"I have the insatiable urge to devour you." Never had such a frightening thought carried with it the craving I had in return.

I turned my head and our mouths locked together in a perfect seal, our tongues mingling in a passionate kiss. Eric lifted me and I wrapped my legs around him. He brought me to sit on the high bed, never once allowing our mouths to break free as he quickly removed the robe and towels around us. While he stood before me, our hands ran along each others bodies, blindly memorizing every detail.

His hand went down to see if I was ready for him, his fingers preparing me languorously. He finally broke the kiss, "Now I'm going to fuck you," he stated.

He entered me slowly, looking in my eyes, watching my response. Again the swirling effect of his pleasure surrounded me and mixed with my own. My mouth opened in a silent scream.

Eric propped my legs on his forearms and pulled out just to the end and then collided into my body. I cried out and threw my body back on the bed in surrender. My body was on fire as he continued at an unrelenting pace. He cupped my backside and I could feel the desperation and raw lust within him. My breasts shook in rhythm and I grabbed them and rubbed my nipples. His fingers grabbed tightly onto my ass as he watched me.

"Turn around," he said.

I silently rotated onto my stomach on the bed and he climbed up and mounted me without hesitance. Eric swatted the pillows off the bed and when I looked at the headboard, I could see that it was a dark reflective glass. I looked at his mirror image eyes and chuckled. He raised his eyebrows and gave me a sexy look; held onto my hips and he drove himself into me. My chuckle was replaced with a loud gasp.

Eric repeated the fervent rate of before and was practically growling. He built me up to unguarded yelling with every slam of his hips. He leaned down and licked up the center of my back. He reached around to grab my breasts. His incessant pounding reverberated in me and his energy was surging through my limbs.

"Lover, look at me." I forced my eyes open to look at him in the mirrored headboard, but each time he crashed into me, my eyes snapped shut again and I saw stars behind my eyelids.

Eric moved his hand to stroke my nub as he continued on and I felt the familiar pulsation growing quickly at my center. I forced myself to look at him again and then the waves started coming. I collapsed my chest down to the bed and grasped the comforter as he finished simultaneously. His own tremors shook me as I lay there in front of him. My toes were curling and zinging shocks were shooting through my body.

After a moment, he pulled me into his arms as he lay down and stroked against my nub again. Another explosion took place that was just too much to bear. I tried in vain to pull his hand away, but it seemed to be a struggle to even lift my arm.

"No more," I begged. "I can't move." Eric kissed my neck and laughed mischievously against my skin. He obligingly stroked his hand up along my hip instead.

I was like a pile of jelly. Soon Eric stood, moved me to a soft pillow he had returned to the bed and arranged the covers. He climbed in behind me and stroked my hair.

"Lover, this has been an exceptional date," Eric said. I could hear him grinning behind me.

"If I could move right now, I'd smack you," I said with little intonation.

"Now that our _first date_ is almost behind us," he said seriously, "we really must have that discussion you've been avoiding."

I felt myself grow a little tense. "I haven't been avoiding anything," I replied a little too anxiously. I knew very well that if my legs had been functioning, I would have run for the hills that second. I didn't want to have to put all of this to terms or promises. It was far too complicated for words.

"We'll talk tomorrow," he said softly and then gently kissed my shoulder. "I know you do not take well to people telling you what to do, but please stay here when you wake until we figure out a plan." I felt encouragement coming through the blood bond from Eric, which somewhat relieved the nervous pit in my stomach.

My emotions were reeling as my exhaustion pulled me into a deep sleep.

***

I awoke nestled in a dark little love cocoon; lying in the same position I was when I fell asleep. A lamp with a very dim light was on by my bedside table. My concept of time was completely off. There were no windows in the room, but judging by the dead weight of Eric's arm around me, I could tell it was sometime during the day.

I gently lifted Eric's arm, slowly slid out of the bed and tucked a pillow in my place. All a little silly since I probably could have rolled him off the bed without stirring him. I rubbed my fingers along his arm and kissed his hand.

I stretched out my legs and realized that I felt pretty well rested. I did however feel like I had been horseback riding for three days straight. I got a chill as I remembered the previous night and how positively incredible it had been. Actually, words could not even describe how amazing it was.

The robe I had been wearing the night before was hanging over the chair in front of the fireplace. I slid into it and tied it snugly, still wondering what time it was. Now I had to figure out this finger print deal. I pushed my thumb against the screen. It was blue last night, but now it was totally black. I kept pushing my thumb against it at different angles and then tried sliding it and tapping it. No luck.

_Hmmm. Maybe it has to be turned on._ Speaking of turned on, maybe if Eric hadn't been so busy thinking of other things last night, he would have told me how to work this damn thing.

I pushed a button on the wall and the fireplace started up. Another button turned on the dim lights and the next turned on soft music. I groaned and stole a quick glance toward Eric, knowing that if he was awake he would be reveling in my frustration.

I turned a knob and the fireplace roared. I sighed and stomped my foot. I was hungry and now I was going to be stuck in there until Eric woke up.

"How about an instruction manual?" I asked no one in particular. I tried another button and I heard a click on the other end of the wall. One of the mirrors was swinging away from the wall like a door. _Maybe that's the exit._ I cautiously moved toward it and peeked around. I fumbled around for a light switch, stepped forward and flipped it on.

There was a staircase descending to a basement. I leaned over to sneak a quick look at what was at the base of the stairs.

The secret door closed behind me with a tiny click. I drew a quick breath and turned to look at the door. There was no latch, no stupid non-working thumbprint system either; only a shiny sticker with the name of a fireproof-material construction company on it. At least I couldn't be burned to death in there. Starvation was much more likely.

_Who am I kidding? Eric will know I'm in here long before I starve, won't he? _

I pushed on it and then threw my shoulder into it to no avail. I ran my hands along the door and around it, trying to find a hidden switch or knob or anything that would get me out. There was nothing.

I decided to go down the stairs to see if there was another way out. At the bottom of the stairs was a long room with no windows. Along the wall there were black file cabinets, two tall storage closets and a desk with a computer. At the end of the room, there were three caskets. _Why are there three when Eric said only he and Pam could enter this room? _

Something about being locked in the long closed-in room with the coffins gave me an eerie feeling. I felt myself getting tunnel vision as the light slowly started fading from my vision. I suddenly sat down on the floor.

Then one of the caskets started opening.

My eyes widened as my body grew completely rigid. Realizing that I wasn't breathing, I took a quiet breath and scrambled up the stairs. I was frantically searching again for a way out the door, knowing in my heart that I would not find anything new. I heard steps coming toward the staircase. I looked at my hands wishing I had something I could use as a weapon if needed. All I had was my robe, so I untied it and grabbed the terry belt tautly between my two hands. I held my breath.

"Sookie," a voice called to me and it was the last thing I remembered.


	13. Chapter 13

I opened my eyes and saw Eric pacing in his bedroom. I really had to stop passing out around him.

"She is awake," I heard Pam say from beside me on the bed.

I turned my head with a quizzical look.

"Good morning, Sunshine," she said with a sneer.

I looked down to see my robe was wide open and quickly closed it and sat up, scooting a little away from Pam who was looking at me like I was a holiday buffet.

Eric came forward. "What the hell happened?"

I unconsciously mimicked his attitude. "Your damn thumbprint system doesn't work worth a shit and then I got trapped in a creepy basement with a bunch of coffins and thought someone was after me."

"Ooh, then you gracefully passed out at the top of a staircase," Pam added.

"Yes. Nice catch, Pam." Eric commented. "The system works, I just disarmed it. There is simply a separate switch I neglected to show you how to turn on. Also, to open the door from inside the basement, you just turn the lightswitch to off."

"Thanks for the heads up," I retorted. Turning the light off in the basement would _never_ have occurred to me.

"When did you last eat?" he asked with an edge to his voice.

"Well, I ate at…" I looked to the sky for help. "Yesterday before work."

Pam started calculating aloud. "So, you worked the shift at Merlotte's, came to Fangtasia, battled the strix, nearly started a Halloween orgy, had a sex marathon, gave blood to Eric, and slept 13 or so hours." She looked pointedly at me. "You haven't eaten in over 24 hours."

I flinched. "I never go without eating this long. And I never _sleep_ for that long."

"Must have been _some_ night," Pam said with a smirk as she slid off the bed. "I will bring something for you to eat." I tried not to look doubtful about her culinary abilities.

I watched Eric for a while as he walked around nervously, then picked up a remote control and turned on the news. He sat by the fire and we watched TV in silence for a few minutes.

I could hear Pam in the kitchen and nervously started to rise to help her out. Eric saw my movement and glared at me.

Finally I couldn't take it anymore. "What is your problem?" I asked.

Eric rose and came to the side of the bed. "You can't go so long without sustenance. Especially not when I'm taking blood from you." He sounded angry.

"Eric, I know that." I said in an irritated voice. "But I wasn't exactly planning for any of this to happen. I didn't expect to get in a fight with Sam - before I could eat at the bar after my shift, like I intended. I didn't expect to go on a blood-sucking-feathered-creatures-of-the-night killing rampage with you." My voice rose nervously. "And I certainly didn't expect to be at your house having the most amazing sex ever." He grinned and I poked my finger uselessly into his chest. "Or offering my blood to you. Or sleeping for _13 hours_." I frowned. "Also unexpected, was finding myself trapped in your room, only to get locked in a secret chamber with a _vampire_ emerging from a _coffin_."

"Calm down, Drama Queen," Pam said, teasing me as she walked in with a tray. "It was only me."

"Well, I didn't know that at the time, _Pam_." I was annoyed. I looked at Eric. "Besides, why are there three caskets down there when you said the only people who can get in here are you and Pam and…" I nearly choked before I could say the word _me_. I felt my face drain.

"There is one for Pam and one for myself. The third has a false bottom that connects to a tunnel that leads to a shed outside," Eric said plainly.

"Oh," I said, searching for something more eloquent to say. I tried not to think of the reasons a secret passage would be needed.

Pam brought the tray over and set it in front of me on the bed.

"Where did you get this?" I looked up at her, wondering what classy restaurant was delivering food to vampire lairs in short order.

"Oh, it's just a little something I whipped up," she said primly, obviously delighted with my response. I lifted my eyebrows in surprise.

The tray held a large plate filled with a beautiful salad of baby spinach with pepper-crusted steak artfully arranged on top. It was sprinkled with blue cheese, candied walnuts and slices of strawberries. One whole strawberry was sliced and fanned out to look like a flower and it was all drizzled with some sort of vinaigrette.

I cut off a piece of meat and made a perfect bite with the spinach, blue cheese and a strawberry. I placed it in my mouth and chewed it slowly. They both watched me intently as I closed my eyes and nodded my head lightly. "Mmm. This is perfect."

I licked my lips and saw a small tumbler. "Is this wine?"

"Yes, it is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley; it was suggested as a pairing for the steak salad." Pam said.

I didn't usually drink much wine, plus I hadn't eaten in a day, so I just took a sip. I felt the warmth fill my belly.

"What is this?" I asked, cracking through a sugary crust in a little white dish.

"It is Crème Brûlée," she said proudly in beautiful accent.

I looked at her incredulously and took a bite. "Oh, that is delicious," I exclaimed. "How in the world did you do all of this?" I asked Pam dubiously.

"I have been watching this food channel lately. I turned it on and saw a most delicious woman making a dish I remembered eating as a child." Pam looked almost nostalgic. I figured she was one of the only people watching the show thinking something other than the food looked edible. "I found myself turning to the program quite frequently. I thought it might be useful knowledge. This is my first meal."

"So, I'm your guinea pig?" I laughed and she looked confused. "Never mind," I said.

She waved her hand to dismiss my comment that didn't make sense to her. "My favorite part of the show is the last minute when they try the food. I expect the faces they make during that first bite are the same they make during sex." She smiled.

I regretfully played back my earlier bite of food in my mind and shook my head.

"I prepared the steak and custard for the Crème Brûlée once I arrived to check on you two last night. I wasn't sure that Eric had thought of provisions. I only had to throw it all together just now," she said practically.

"Thank you. I never imagined I would be eating a meal prepared by a vampire that wasn't a bowl of cereal or something," I flashed a smile.

"I'll try to give Eric some pointers," she snickered and walked out of the room. That Pam.

Eric changed the subject immediately. "Tell me about this fight you had with the shifter."

I forgot I let that slip while I was ranting. "Oh, Sam just told us to wear costumes to work since it was Halloween and all. Then he got all huffy about…my, ah, dress." I trailed off. "It wasn't a big deal."

"It did not sound earlier like it _wasn't a big deal_," he raised an eyebrow.

Obviously Eric wasn't going to let it go. "Sam got angry and I blew up at him and left before my shift ended. He called me while I was on my way to Fangtasia and sort of apologized." I paused. "He said he didn't feel like his normal self."

"Normal." Eric said blankly.

"He thought he was under a spell or something." I said quietly. "While I was around him."

"The shifter was angry. Anything else?" Eric asked.

"Well, before I tell you, you have to know it wasn't like him at all. He seemed to be acting mad because we weren't having a…physical relationship." I muttered.

"Were you near him when this was happening?" Eric stood very still.

"I don't know. I guess so. We were in the office and then I kept going to the bar to get drinks. When he was helping me take my wings off, since they were getting in the way, he made some comments and I pretty much made a scene and left." I rolled my eyes thinking about it now.

"Has this happened before?" Eric asked, not meeting my eyes.

"No, never," I blurted out. "That's the only reason I believed something else might be egging it on."

"Okay, we need to go see him. Now," Eric started toward the door.

"Great, I can't wait to go strolling into Merlotte's on your arm, wearing a bathrobe." I went on sarcastically. "Or better yet, the ripped piece of fabric that used to be my dress. Got any safety pins?"

"Although that sounds interesting, there is some clothing for you to wear upstairs." Eric said. I pictured Pam's black attire from Fangtasia and groaned.

"Well I'm going to finish this food so I don't pass out again." I snapped. "Or get any more lectures from you. Then we can tackle the clothing issue and hit the road."


	14. Chapter 14

As I ate alone in Eric's room, I thought about our little upcoming excursion to visit Sam and what that might mean. I had intended on meeting up with Sam to see if we could figure out what was going on, but my plans; as unformed as they were, never included Eric.

I trusted Sam implicitly. So maybe if my boss, and honestly one of my good friends, was suddenly acting out of sorts it would be better to have someone backing me up. Especially if there was something going on that was out of his control. I just needed to be sure Eric could keep _his_ control.

I finished up as much of my food as I could, which meant most of the salad and _all_ of the crème brûlée. I hadn't eaten in a whole day. I deserved it.

Once I located the strap for my robe, I tightened it as I stepped across the hallway into the bathroom. Just seeing the room brought back vivid, toe-curling memories from the night before. I blew out a heavy breath and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I had a fleeting wish that Eric and I could just hole up here and leave the world behind.

But of course, we can't. Life was sublime when Eric and I were "alone together", but the real world was waiting for us with all sorts of truths, lies and death threats. Plus, the closer we became, the more danger I got in. Okay, the strix were after me, and he had stepped in to save me from my own problems before (literally in the case of Debbie Pelt).

_Correction; the closer we became; the more dangerous we were to one another. _

I stepped in to take a quick shower. I sensed Eric's presence before he opened the door.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye as I started wetting down my hair. He was already dressed in light jeans and a tight black t-shirt. _Yum._ Since Eric had given me his blood the night before, my sense of smell was pretty keen. I could practically taste his cologne.

He didn't say anything or move toward the shower, he just sat on the bench on the far side of the room and watched me. I made it an exceptionally quick shower, but did do some extra soap lathering around my breasts for effect.

I felt bad news on the horizon. He didn't start talking until I pulled on the robe and looked at him.

"It has just been reported that there was a vandal in the Fangtasia parking lot today." Eric said quickly and deliberately. He sounded like a vampire news anchor.

Great, I had left my car there all day. "Graffiti or tire-slashing?" I asked with disdain.

"Actually, it seems there was a fairly significant explosion," he said slowly.

_Is that what vandalism has risen to these days?_ "Was anyone hurt?" I asked and Eric shook his head. I thought I heard him say "not yet" under his breath.

I looked into his hardened blue eyes. "Tell me it wasn't my car." I braced myself for the response.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Eric said and came to stand by me as I gripped the counter.

I closed my eyes and counted to ten. "Do they have any idea who did it?" I had no idea who "they" were, but I couldn't imagine someone blowing up a car in broad daylight without someone seeing something.

"Not yet, but the police have been contacted," Eric's face was hard, but he was obviously attempting to be supportive as he took my hand.

I took a deep breath and huffed loudly. Okay, so it wasn't like I paid a lot of money for the Malibu. It was basically free, but even still, it wasn't like having my car blown up was on my list of things to do today.

Plus, to keep my monthly auto insurance payments low I had chosen a really high deductible. I had a guilty pang as I hoped I would still get the $1000 I was supposed to earn from Fangtasia for last night. I guess since I only talked to one bartender the whole evening I couldn't very well expect to get paid. I didn't even know if that kind of damage would be covered. "Apparently I should have confirmed with my insurance agent that my coverage included mysterious explosions in vampire bar parking lots," I muttered; a tiny foray into sarcastic self-pity.

Eric gave me a subdued look as he continued. "There were no other vehicles damaged. Unless it was a coincidence, which I highly doubt; I would say someone was trying to warn you," Eric paused. "Or me."

This was just confirmation that the big bad world was outside waiting for us. The suspicion that life was not going to return to normal anytime soon started to resurface. My emotional control was fading and I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. But before I could delve too deeply into my thoughts, there was a knock on the door. I looked over at it in a confused manner.

"Enter," Eric said like a king. I rolled my eyes. The fact that I was standing there nearly breaking down into tears in a bathrobe didn't seem to stop him from allowing people to traipse in and out.

People like Bill.

Bill looked briefly at me holding Eric's hand before his eyes settled elsewhere.

My eyes did some sort of puzzled to and fro wobble as I looked from Eric to Bill in disbelief. I clutched the robe closer to me.

We _were_ all hanging out in a bathroom. A bathroom that had not so very long ago been the epicenter of some fiercely amazing love-making between Eric and me. And Bill _was_ my very first and former lover. And I was in a robe. Hey, did I mention my car exploded sometime that day?

"I really need to get into some clothes." I blurted out, not thinking that saying it would draw attention to the fact that I wasn't currently wearing any.

"I hate when that happens," Eric said, pushing his bottom lip out dramatically.

Bill closed his eyes and visibly clamped his lips.

I almost felt sorry for him. Then I remembered him flaunting Selah in front of me all those times at Merlotte's. My pity faded fast.

Pam poked her head in and looked from Eric to me to Bill and broke into a smile. "Did you all need any extra towels in here?"

_Oh, for crying out loud._ "Alright," I said forcefully, shooing with my hands toward the door, as if they could make vampires move. "As much as I love this bathroom, I'd rather not be hanging out in here with you three."

"Shall we move our conversation into the dining room?" Eric asked amusedly.

"Please." I said, looking toward the sky. "First I do need to get dressed."

Pam and Bill slid wordlessly out the door. "Come," Eric said gently and followed them. I noticed that his sleeping chamber was closed. So Eric _wouldn't_ be bringing Bill in there to show him the bed too.

Pam was already at the sink washing the dishes and the scene looked far too domestic for a vampire. Even a vampire wearing a pink cardigan and khaki pants.

"Bill." Eric directed. "True Blood is in the fridge. Help yourself. Call Bobby and tell him we will be meeting him at Fangtasia in an hour."

"What about going to see Sam?" I asked tensely.

"That will have to wait for now," Eric said evenly as he led me up the stairs. "I must go to Fangtasia to discuss today's events. Seeing that it was your vehicle, the police will want to talk to you as well."

I sighed dramatically. "What's the point?" I had a growing aversion to law enforcement. It was ridiculous going through the motions with them when they had no idea the extent of supernatural involvement in most of the situations I was in.

Eric just grinned. "It's all a part of mainstreaming, lover." I knew he disliked it even more than I did.

I got to the top of the staircase and rather than looking into the room, I peeked down at the living room. The upstairs loft was separated by a half wall, allowing a view of the lake through the large angled windows at top of the peaked wall that held the fireplace. It was really beautiful. I saw Bill talking on the phone by the microwave.

When I turned toward the loft, I took in a sharp breath.

It was as if someone replicated a photo shoot from Country Living. I looked at Eric in surprise. This didn't seem like his taste in decorating. "Is this Pam's room?"

The steep walls were a chalky blue-green with white trim. High white beams extended the width of the room. An antique white wrought-iron bed had a quilt folded over a creamy yellow feather comforter and six pillows in six different fabrics that somehow all seemed to go together. Two mismatched white nightstands held matching lamps.

Eric smiled, "No, this is my guest room."

_I didn't think he had guests - at least not any who could sleep in here. _

A fireplace with a white mantle was on the far wall, with a big painting above it and a large window on either side. In front of it was a seating arrangement like the one in Eric's room; that is if someone covered it with coordinating solid, floral and checked material.

"It's so luxurious but comfortable in here," I said. "It feels like home; only better." I had one of those passing thoughts that questioned whether or not Eric was sending the feelings to me through the blood bond.

Eric walked to a white antiqued armoire; the kind that you can't tell if it was really old or if it was new and someone painted it that way.

"Let's find something for you to wear this evening," he said.

"Good thought." I looked at a door and how a section of walls were cutting into the angle of the rest of the room. "Is there a bathroom up here too?"

Eric nodded as he pulled out a huge box and set it on the floor. He started taking garments on hangers out of the box and hung them on the little pole in the armoire.

They were all women's clothing - really cute women's clothing - right about my size women's clothing. "Where did these come from?"

"A store," he said simply.

"So you're stocking up on women's clothing these days?" I asked him doubtfully.

"Yes," he smirked as he answered, although I didn't find it to be a _sufficient_ answer.

I gave him a WTF ("what the fuck?") look reserved solely for when I can't seem to create words for the questions and suspicions that I have in my head.

He took in my expression and laughed. It wasn't supposed to be funny.

"I took an evening and went shopping a few days ago," his blue eyes were clear and bright. "I wanted to get something for you as a thank you gift."

"Thank you gift for what?" I asked, knitting my brows together. Somehow my expertise at hiding my emotions was not working around him right now.

"You felt my despair when Sigebert had attacked me. You know, I could have called you to me but I didn't want to endanger you? I didn't think there was a chance in hell there was anything you could do." He looked at me. "I was wrong." He smirked at the memory then became serious. "You came to help me and I'm grateful to you."

Maybe this is what they call "pulling at your heartstrings." I had a lump in my throat.

"You would have done the same for me," I whispered as I looked at the accumulated wardrobe. "This is a little too grateful. You know how I feel about this sort of thing."

"Of course I do. I was looking for something that reminded me of you, but I found too many. So, I decided to just buy them all and find more reasons to thank you later." He said. "I figure we have one for saving me from Sigebert." He threw a gorgeous periwinkle blue fitted cashmere sweater on the bed. "One for shooting the strix witch before she staked me." I nodded as I caught a pair of super cute jeans and a little tank top.

He tossed a lacy blue and white bra to me. "One for the incredible blow job." He waggled his eyebrows, which earned a big grin from me. I couldn't help it. "Yeah, that one really deserves more thanking," he snickered as a matching thong came shooting like a rubberband over my head. I rolled my eyes.

He threw a pair of shoes toward my feet one at a time. "One for the magnificent sex in the bath and one for the amazing fuck in the bedroom."

I picked up the shoes and threw them back at him with my most condescending look. "I don't accept gifts for sex, thank you very much."

"But for a blow job it's okay?" He looked innocently at the undergarment I had in the crook of my arm.

"I hope you saved your receipt, buddy," I walked up to him and smacked him on the arm and threw the bra in his face.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me to him as he brought his mouth down against mine. _Oh hell. _

The surprise mixed with anger and lust hit me so hard my stomach dropped to my feet. His hands were in my hair and his tongue was doing some brilliant things in my mouth as he pushed me against the armoire with his own body. I could feel his hardness and a bubbling surge formed low in my belly and started spreading to my limbs.

He pulled away. I was standing there holding myself up with my hands back on the armoire and took a ragged breath or two before I even opened my eyes. _How does he do that?_

My eyes felt heavy with desire as I looked up at his face and saw the same longing staring back at me. He spoke in a deep voice, "We really need to have that talk about us, but now is not the time. We have to leave soon."

I nodded imperceptibly, unable to speak yet. I had given in to my sexual urges with Eric last night. What was previously complicated was now a big old disaster. Not to mention everything going on outside of our "not-a-relationship".

"Please take the clothes," he said respectfully. "They are a gift for saving me as well as an apology for this morning. I'm sorry that you were locked in my room and got scared in the basement. I felt your fear the instant I awoke."

With that, he turned and walked down the steps - leaving me confused and turned on with no clothes to wear other than the ones he was offering me.

I was half convinced to saunter out of there in the robe and tell him to shove his gift where the sun don't shine. I guess the sun doesn't shine anywhere on him. _Not the point!_ The other half of me wanted to accept the nice gesture. I knew he was honestly grateful and sorry.

And damn it if I didn't want to see the proud look on his face when I walked down that staircase in the clothes he had picked out for me.

Bottom line; I wasn't going to Fangtasia in a robe. I walked to the other side of the bed to find the underwear he had shot over my head and slid them on.

I pulled on the dark jeans which fit me like a glove – a really comfortable, well-made glove. I wore the bra and tank under the lush blue sweater and stepped into the bathroom to check out the full look. Everything was a perfect fit and the blue sweater intensified my eye-color.

I found a hairdryer and brush on my first try and dried my hair. My brain was juggling memories of last night and five minutes ago, potential reasons my car was blown up, and arguments of why I should or should not have some big discussion with Eric about _us_.

I tried to shut my brain down for a minute and took a deep breath. The internal ramblings certainly did not show in the mirror. My complexion was looking radiant, my hair was practically shimmering and my eyes were bright. Must be from the blood exchange.

I wondered if I might find some lip gloss and instinctively opened the drawer to the right of the sink where I keep my own makeup at home. Everything a girl could want was right there - actually, anything a Hollywood starlet would ever want was right there, because these were not brands that I could afford. I quickly put on a little mascara and lip gloss.

Eric was sitting in the living room and eyed me like prey as I descended the stairs.

The dining room table was closest to the bottom of the stairs and Pam was sitting there working on a laptop. She was facing away from me, towards the kitchen where Bill was rinsing out a bottle.

Pam angled her head when she heard me. "Sookie, don't you look nice." She sneered toward the kitchen where Bill had turned his cold eyes toward me. "Your tastes have certainly improved since I first met you."

Bill gave her an icy stare and started toward the door. "I have brought the information you require. I will meet you at Fangtasia."

Pam's laughter followed him out. Even though her behavior was a little rude, it didn't allow _my_ conscience to disregard politeness.

"Pam, thank you for the delicious meal," I said graciously and sat on the couch near Eric. "Oh, and for catching me on the stairs." I paused. "Even though you were the one who scared me half to death." There, a thank you with a disclaimer. It seemed appropriate somehow.

"You are very welcome. So glad you weren't scared _entirely_ to death." Pam replied with a raised eyebrow before she returned her focus to the computer.

Eric was still staring at me like a dog at a bone. If I could read his thoughts, which I am so glad I can't, they would definitely be blaring; _"I want, I want, I want."_ A simple sexy look shouldn't be able to do the things his did to me. Then again, there was nothing simple about him or about us.

"Thank you for the clothes," I said shakily. "But, Eric, you can't reward me every time I do something good, or fix everything bad, with a purchased gift."

"Hmm. How about with sexual favors?" he asked with a cocked head, deliberately licked his lips and then gave me his oh-so-Eric smile.

I stood straight up. That damn sexy Viking knew how irresistible he was. I was in way over my head. "We need to leave." I said suddenly. Then a little more calmly, "Don't we need to leave now?"

"Yes we do," he said, still smiling, perhaps even more enthusiastically after my outburst.

"Maybe I could just ride with Pam," I suggested. "I want to hear more about her…cooking stuff."

"Dear Sookie, you'll have to stick with Eric for now," Pam said with a grin and had a silent exchange with Eric. "I have some things to finish before I leave and I know you would never want to keep anyone waiting."

She held out my purse, which I didn't even remember when I'd seen last, and a brown leather jacket. When I looked questioningly at it, Pam said, "This jacket doesn't fit me anymore. You can have it."

_Yeah, like she'd gained weight recently?_

"Pam, there's _a tag_ on it," I said, annoyed with this barrage of expensive hand-outs.

"I bought the wrong size and it is non-returnable. It is far too large in the bust," she looked pointedly at my chest and then at Eric.

He was already holding the door open; cheerful expression unchanged, and the cold night air gusted in.

"Oh, fine. I'll borrow it for tonight and then you can sell it on that eBay website," I mumbled and put it on. It was a tailored soft leather blazer and fit so nicely I was immediately disappointed I would have to return it to her.

"It fits perfectly." Pam said. "I would never get to what I paid for it. The jacket is yours." She raised her hand to end the discussion or maybe as a wave. I wasn't sure since her next comment was, "See you soon."

We slid into Eric's corvette and started toward Fangtasia. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He was still grinning.

* * *

_Thanks again for all of your reviews. :) The positive feedback is so validating and just makes me want to write more!!! Happy Holidays!_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

_Hello readers, thanks again for the reviews and I am so sorry it has been so long since my last update. Rather than go on and on with excuses about holidays, families and such, I'll just get to the story. :) _

_***_

Eric was driving like we were being chased. Realizing the possibility of that being true, I peeked behind me to see if there were any headlights bearing down on us.

No, he was just driving like his normal self to Fangtasia, and _still_ grinning. I rolled my eyes.

"You do recall our _interaction_ at the party last night, don't you?" Eric asked smugly.

I felt my cheeks get warm. _How could I forget? __I had publicly claimed him after some tramp –a gorgeous and scantily clad tramp, no less – offered herself to him right in front of me. Some nerve she had. _

Recalling the heated moment following that was causing a little anxiety, if not a little arousal.

Okay, admittedly, beyond the claiming, I did practically bed him in front of every turned eye at the Halloween party. Looking back, I had no idea what got into me. Then again, I knew exactly what _got into me_. My face was burning.

Or maybe he wasn't talking about that particular interaction. Maybe he was just referring to the strix in the office. I took a deep breath just before he specified.

"You announced that I am yours," he said. "Vampires have excellent hearing. I'm sure no one missed it." He flashed a dangerous looking smile.

Impossibly quickly we arrived at Fangtasia and I practically jumped out of the car.

We parked in the front of the building where I could see the E(E)E trucks loading up their final cargo nearby. The tent and all evidence from the Halloween party was nearly gone. I could see Quinn with a clipboard by one of the trucks. He sniffed and looked right at me. He stared for a second before shaking his head and going back to his work.

Bobby, who I remembered from the airfield a while back, walked over and led us silently around the big trucks to where I remembered my car was parked. I drew in a sharp breath. I knew why we were coming, but I couldn't help the shock at seeing what just yesterday was my car beneath the harsh yellow streetlight.

A black metal frame and some surrounding debris was all that was left of my Malibu. The ground was burned black below it and 10 feet away in the grassy ditch were some twisted metal pieces, and what might have previously been a seat.

I said a little prayer of thanks that no one was hurt.

Eric whistled with what one could construe as admiration. "You needed a new car anyway," he said.

"Thanks for showing so much sensitivity Eric." My sarcasm was thick. "I really appreciate it." I had no idea what I was going to do for transportation. I couldn't afford a rental car. Maybe I could get a loaner from the repair shop or something would work out with my insurance.

Two Shreveport police officers were standing near the remains of my vehicle. Officer Norris was nice looking and nearly as tall as Eric, but with a much slighter build. Officer Prattle was short, balding and looked like he had had a few too many donuts. He couldn't tell if I was a vampire or not. He looked questioningly at the taller cop who shook his head and then Prattle let out a relieved sigh.

"We need to question each person separately, if everyone else can go on back toward the building now," the tall one said to Eric and Bobby.

They asked about when I arrived and left, where I came from and then both noticeably adjusted their posture. I answered their questions truthfully, although necessity required me to omit quite a bit once they got specific.

Norris was eyeing me up and down looking for bite marks. He assumed (correctly, I might add) that they were hidden. "What were you doing here last night?"

"There was a Halloween party and I was invited to come." I shrugged and flashed my nervous grin.

Prattle didn't want to be outdone talking to me. He thought I was too pretty of a girl to be hanging around vampires. He gave me his best concerned look. "Are you aware of anyone who would like to hurt you?"

"I hope this was random and not specific to me at all." A girl could hope, but I felt the doubt in my eyes.

"Did anything out of the ordinary happen last night?" Norris was focusing on me very hard.

"No stranger than usual," was my curt response. _Strange, yes; but no more than I'm used to._

I saw Pam walk out of the building with Mr. Grystrong, the head of security the night before, and none other than Felipe de Castro. She must have parked around back. Sure didn't seem like she had a lot to do before she followed us. Scheming vamps.

The officers were both staring at me wondering how they could put the next question delicately. The Officer Norris looked down at his notepad uncomfortably. "Why did you leave your car here overnight?"

"I just caught a ride with a friend." I tried to sound nonchalant.

"And who would that be?"

"Well, Eric Northman, the owner of this place," I gulped. "We're just friends." I felt the unnecessary need to say. Big nervous smile.

I was prepared for the flurry of dirty thoughts and I blocked them as well as possible. The officers exchanged looks. Norris said, "We'll let you know if we find out anything. Here's your case number for your insurance claim."

He handed me a business card of his with a handwritten number on it. Prattle looked miffed and put his own business card in my hand, lingering as he said, "Give _me_ a call if you think of anything else that might be helpful."

I almost giggled. At least they could be mildly entertaining to me if they couldn't actually _solve_ the crime. Though there was of course the off chance there was no supernatural involvement and they could.

"Do you have any idea what happened?" I asked curiously. Surely they had some theories that I could hear even if they wouldn't say them out loud.

"Not so far, Miss Stackhouse. We'll have the results identifying the composition of the explosives soon. We are also going to watch all of the security tapes from the strip mall." Prattle said confidently as he tucked his thumbs into his belt. "That should give us some good leads."

Prattle thought it was a couple of teenagers getting into explosives over their head. Norris thought it might be a jealous adversary of Eric's in light of me going home with him. Then he had a brief flash of a thought about the Fellowship of the Sun.

Interesting. I didn't know if anyone on the police force was aware of the group's true intentions. Well, at least I didn't think they were acknowledging it as a reality. I thought I would see if he would bite.

"You know, I've heard of a group of people who aren't crazy about vampires or those who associate with them. Have you all heard of the Fellowship of the Sun?"

A shadow passed across Norris' face. "You think a church group is blowing up cars?"

I smiled tightly, "Probably a silly rumor, huh?"

"I would say so," Norris said with finality, then clicked his pen on the clipboard gave me a hard look and turned away. Prattle followed, confused.

Felipe de Castro was by my side within seconds. He didn't say a thing and just looked at me expectantly which caused a very awkward silence. Probably vampires don't feel awkward; it could have just been me.

"Everything well in Las Vegas, Mr. de Castro?" I asked politely.

"Yes, very well." He nodded his head to the side. "My regrets for the condition of your auto."

"Thank you," I replied.

"Miss Stackhouse, I extend to you a personal invitation to my coronation. I will make travel arrangements for you and Mr. Northman to attend." Put like that, it didn't sound like an invitation one could decline.

"I will need to see if I can get the time off of work. When is this taking place?" I asked delicately, looking for an excuse _not_ to encounter the most influential vampires of the country again.

"I spoke to the shifter, Mr. Merlotte just yesterday," he said with a proud smile and a flip of the hand that most straight men couldn't pull off. Then again, I had no idea if he was straight, nor did I care at the moment. "It seems you have not been scheduled for the four days over the period of the celebration."

"Convenient," I managed. I was biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from saying something rude. The king's expression looked clear of malice; I doubt he thought it was intrusive to make a call like that.

"Yes, it should be quite nice," he said in a deep, friendly voice. "I look forward to seeing you then." He turned to walk to his vehicle.

As pleasant as he was, I was frustrated. Yet another man had interfered in my business. But why Felipe de Castro would personally call the boss of a human to find out if they were free for a weekend didn't make sense to me.

I was sure Sam had _loved_ that conversation. I couldn't imagine why he would even keep me around, with all of the vamps interfering in his business whenever they had need of me. After all, I was good at my job, but it wasn't like I was irreplaceable as a barmaid.

That line of thinking had me recalling the conversation I was supposed to have with Sam this evening.

I called out to de Castro. "I didn't see you at Merlotte's yesterday. I must have missed you."

He turned his head to glance at me with his dark eyebrows furrowed. "Yes, a pity." He said cordially and smiled. "Farewell." With that he got in his limo and it drove off.

So Felipe had been at Merlotte's yesterday.

Eric was walking toward me with a questioning look on his face. "What was that all about?" he asked, both of us staring at the retreating dark rear window of the long black vehicle.

"Felipe de Castro just invited me to his coronation. Apparently I already have the time off of work." I said matter-of-factly. "And you are coming with me." I dared a glance out of the corner of my eye to witness the surprise and then the cocky crooked grin growing on his face.

"Then he knows that you've finally given in to me," he said confidently and pulled me into his arms.

_I hadn't really…_ "Oh boy," was all I could manage before he kissed me.

When I came up for air, I noticed Pam had moved stealthily to stand next to us. "The cops want to interview you now," she said to Eric. "That is, I'm sure they can wait until you're finished sucking face here." I rolled my eyes.

The two officers were staring at us with disdain. _So much for that whole line about us being just friends. _I could feel my cheeks turning red. I followed Eric and Pam back toward the building and went inside while the officers interviewed Eric. It was pretty quick, and he came in talking to Pam.

"They won't get anything from the security cameras they have access to. I went to great measures to ensure none of them pointed to our property. Most of our clients know that or there wouldn't as many of them."

"But my car wasn't exactly parked on your property," I commented. "The tent was taking up the whole front of the building,"

"That is true."

"The one officer was thinking of the Fellowship of the Sun," I mentioned lightly, knowing the effect it would have on Eric.

He clenched his jaw. "If they have gotten another one into the police force…" He trailed off. "The officers obtained copies from the manager, but I would bet the originals are still in the property manager's office."

"I'd like to see my own copy if that officer is going to conveniently lose his. Is there a way to get in?" I asked.

"We have a key to that section of the building. It is where they take the boxes to that crushing machine," Pam said and squinted. "A baler, or something? Those flighty human girls are always afraid of it."

"Where is the key?" Eric asked.

"It's in the stockroom," Pam said and started making her way back to retrieve it as Eric and I followed. A couple of waitresses walked in the back door and made eyes at Eric and glared at me. He didn't even notice.

"Pam, you stay here and keep an eye on the place. If people have heard about the explosion, which I'm sure they have, we're going to be busy tonight. Strangely enough, the danger will bring _more_ humans and in light of the situation, we need to be up on security. Grystrong was set to leave after the clean-up. See if he would care to stay on for the weekend at the same rate of pay. Sookie, you should stay here in the office. I'll be right back."

I looked at him incredulously. "Oh no, I'm coming with you."

He looked set to argue, but after a second he nodded. "I won't be able to do much to keep you safe if we're apart. Come on."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Eric and I began our little covert mission as we exited through the back door. Eric used the key Pam found to unlock a nearby grey door that said "Garbage."

"We are allowed to go into this section of the building. You really don't need to look so suspicious." Eric said and I stopped tip-toeing.

Once inside I looked down the wide monochromatic grey hallway to see the labeled back doors of the shops in the strip mall. Along the back wall there were restrooms and a cleaning area with a big sink and a mop leaned up in a drain tub. As we kept walking, we came upon big overflowing trash bins and what some large caution signs were indicating was the baler.

Just beyond a giant crate filled with empty shoe boxes was an office door that signified the end of the hallway. The office had a small window and the light from a psychedelic swirling blue and green screensaver on the computer screen showed the room to be unoccupied.

"This is it," Eric said and pulled out his wallet. He slid a credit card in between the door and the jamb and pushed down on the handle. It opened with ease.

"Nice security," I said sarcastically and looked down the hall toward the main door we had entered. All of the shops were closed, but I sure didn't want to be found breaking into an office after hours to steal security tapes.

We stepped in and shut the door behind us.

"I don't see any tapes in here." I said as I looked around, expecting to find a wall of black hardcover cases.

Eric was hovering over the computer, clicking away. "It looks like it's all saved on the computer. The police probably have a disk burned with the videos."

"Is there another disk we can use?" I asked.

"It will take a while to burn it. We should just watch it now and get out of here."

He clicked a few more times and the image of the parking lot and my car came up on the screen. He scrolled the cursor along until it got to later in the day and the video showed the car on fire. He scrolled to rewind it and there my car was, good as new. I sighed.

A figure approached my car and slid a metal piece in by the window to unlock the door. They pulled a package out of their jacket and set it in the front seat before adjusting their hat and shutting the door. Then they just walked toward Fangtasia and out of frame. Seconds later, I gasped as a blast went off and the video jumped. Pieces of the vehicle went flying and the flames began to spread. Eric rewound the video again to view the perpetrator.

"Does it look like anyone you would know from the Fellowship?" Eric asked and looked cautiously toward the door.

I was squinting at the poor image quality. I had seen that jacket and baseball hat earlier tonight. I knew who it was.

"Grystrong," Eric said and I jumped. When I looked at him, his face was turned toward the window to see Grystrong's face looking in.

"Eric, it was him," I whispered as the handle of the door started to turn. Eric stared at me in disbelief and then nodded. Again we were in a room where trouble was outside the door. He slammed the door open and sent Grystrong flailing backwards, but the guy was bulky and regained his footing quickly.

"Sorry about that. Sticky door." he lied. "What can we do for you Mr. Grystrong?"

He glared at Eric. "As part of some security precautions, I wanted to look at some footage I've come to find out about."

"A copy has already been given to the police and Sookie and I just finished watching. It was quite enlightening," Eric said and took a step toward him.

"Why don't you leave, Northman, so I can finish what I came here to do," he said with a devilish grin and looked at me.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"I'm just lucky Quinn hired me like his mommy told me he would. She said if you hurt him again, it was time for you to go."

He had an insane look in his eyes and I wondered immediately if he had met Quinn's mother at the looney bin. My bets were on yes.

"Eric, this guy is crazy," I whispered and he shot me a look that read "like I didn't already know."

Grystrong pulled a gun from behind him and started waving it toward me. Eric stood in front of me and backed me into the office.

"Stay down," he commanded and turned his attention to the armed former head of security. "Put the gun down or you _will_ regret it."

Grystrong laughed maniacally. "You think she loves you, Northman? She's just using you for the power. Then she'll dump you for the next best thing. De Castro perhaps? Straight to the top for this whore."

"At this point it doesn't matter if you put it down or not. You will regret ever stepping foot in my establishment."

Eric flew toward Grystrong just as a shot rang out. It looked like the bullet had grazed Eric's shoulder. Eric tackled him and knocked the gun from his hand with ease and slid it across the floor within feet of the office door. He punched Grystrong so hard he went flying past the garbage. I guessed Eric wasn't going to make it quick and easy and just shoot him, though the gun was now at his disposal.

Grystrong rose quickly and jumped for the mop, which he swiftly broke over his leg. The splintered edge was sharp and he came running toward Eric at full speed.

I resisted the urge to yell to Eric. Choking on the words, I knew if he heard me he would turn around rather than focus on the psychotic running man. Eric bent over quickly just as Grystrong approached, and flipped him over his shoulders to land flat on the floor behind him. Then Eric turned so fast there was no time for Grystrong to defend himself as the Viking grabbed the shaft of the mop and drove it into the man's chest.

I watched Eric rise with a look of disgust on his face. I knew he had been irritated that he had been urged to hire E(E) Events for the Halloween Party and, no doubt, about the extra security that he now found out was headed by someone who wanted to kill me. There was also no telling how much of this he would blame on Quinn personally.

I could tell his composure was oddly shaken as he turned around and started throwing boxes furiously. I walked hesitantly toward him but stopped short. He started hurling the boxes into the giant metal baler until it was full.

Eric looked at the machine and crashed the gates closed. He slammed his fist against the red button. Within minutes, the huge cage full of boxes was crushed with two thousand pounds of pressure into a few inches of flattened cardboard.

"We could dispose of the evidence," he said as he opened the gates.

I cringed. "We don't need to _dispose of the evidence_. He was crazy and he _attacked_ us. And the officers are going to have video that shows him blowing up my car. I'm pretty sure he was seriously mentally unstable. There must be a record of where he stayed recently with Quinn's mom."

"If there is a record, then it should have been found by the company he worked for _before_ they hired him for _security_." He looked at me steadily and walked to the exit.

I wasn't sure why I felt like this was somehow my fault or at least like Eric was making it seem that way. I had no control over the sanity of Quinn's mother, her actions or those of people with whom she associated. I didn't even know this dead guy's first name. I closed the door to the manager's office and made sure it was locked before I made my way out of the building, carefully avoiding even looking at Grystrong's body on the floor.

Not forty-five minutes after they had left, the two officers were back at Fangtasia. Eric and I took them to the back hallway by the baler.

"I'm afraid it was rather brutal, but he was coming after us with a gun. He admitted that he had blown up Sookie's car and said that he was going to kill her," Eric explained.

"Well you could have called us instead of taking things into your own hands like a couple of damn vigilantes," Officer Norris said.

"There wasn't exactly time to make a phone call," I said irritatedly.

"I suppose he told you why he did it?" Norris replied.

"A crazy woman put him up to it," Eric said seriously.

"He may be escaped from a mental institution," I suggested. We sounded like we were nuts. They took pictures and placed the gun in a bag for evidence. After they interviewed us about the details of the fight and about Quinn and his mom, they got ready to leave.

"We will look into all of this information. In the meantime, don't leave town for a couple of days." Norris looked at us sternly.

"What were you two doing back here anyways?" Officer Prattle asked.

"We were bringing back some boxes to the baler," Eric lied effortlessly. "He must have followed us."

Prattle nodded and ushered us out.

It was really loud in Fangtasia when we entered through the back door. Eric was right about the crowds of people enticed by word of the explosion. We went into his office where he sat down at his desk without looking at me.

He was still acting strangely. I was trying to figure out who to call to give me a ride out of there when I could feel him staring at me.

I looked up at him expectantly, hoping for some kind of explanation.

"Let's go out to the floor," he suggested.

"No thanks." I could feel the embarrassment creeping into my cheeks, knowing that half of the people out there had probably witnessed my show last night. Plus, who knew how many more people were out there just lining up to try to kill me.

"You're pigheaded," he stated.

I recoiled. "Excuse me?"

"You're stubborn and headstrong…"

"Yes, I'm aware of what the word means, but I have no idea why you are talking to me with this attitude," I responded coolly.

"Because you ran," he said. "After I got my memory back at your house you didn't tell me anything. You pretended all of the amazing time we spent together never even happened. And now that we've been together again, you're looking for another way out."

"I was just trying to protect you," I said. I was going to deny looking for a way out again, but it was the truth.

"No you were trying to protect _yourself_." Eric finally lost his temper. He stood and raised his voice in an exasperated tone. "You've defied death more than most _bodyguards_ I've known. You stood unblinking in a room full of battling witches, held a live bomb in your hand, ran over a giant vampire with your car. You've been staked and shot at; attacked by creatures you didn't even know existed. You have defended yourself and those you care about - to the death. It would seem to anyone that you are fearless.

He snorted. "It is unbelievable to me that the one thing that can scare away the intrepid Sookie Stackhouse is _love_." With that he turned on his heel and walked out of the room.

My heart was pounding. Surely he wasn't right. I was just being pragmatic. Eric has plenty of experience with that. It is more logical and reasonable for me to walk away. We both knew I had feelings for him, but I _never_ said I loved him.

I stood up and started pacing.

When I looked toward where he was sitting, I noticed what he had been reading at his desk. The note he had written while he stayed with me must have fallen out of my purse.

I read it again.

_My Lover,_

_You're sleeping peacefully and dawn is coming soon._

_The fight is over and the spell could be broken at any time. I have an unfamiliar sense of uncertainty about the changes that will take place, but the one thing I am certain of is what I feel for you._

_You are an amazing, brave and caring woman. I am proud to have you as my lover and grateful for all you have done for me. _

_I know things will be different once the spell is broken and I'll have to go back to my duties, but we can't let it stand in the way of what we have together. _

_Just read this letter whenever you need a reminder that you are the most important person in my world and that if you will just let me, I will love you forever._

_~E_

_P.S. you are simply incredible between the sheets. And on the kitchen table, in the shower, etc._

I held back the tears as well as I could. I had denied that the Eric I'd known then was anything like the one I had known before and after; that they were separate and so different people. But the truth is - I felt that was the true Eric, the man he is under the tough exterior. I had seen it again since. And I couldn't say that the merging of the two Erics I'd come to know was such a bad thing.

But how long can it last? I'll keep getting older and he will stay the same. What about work and living arrangements and commuting and the fact that he sleeps all day?

For those reasons alone, I could just walk away. Leave and not look back, deserting my heart and the best sex on the entire planet to go find some normal human whose dreary thoughts I could read day in and day out until I died.

What would it take for me to stay?

_A leap of faith._

I walked out of the office and looked at the two options; one door leading to the outside world and the other leading to the floor of Fangtasia.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

_Hi everyone, thanks again for the reviews…Oh, the reviews. LOL. They were awesome. As for the cliffhanger, I did not intend for it to be so long before posting the next part :) Lots of life changes (and computer problems) delayed me from posting this...hope you'll forgive me and keep reading!_

***

I took a deep breath and turned toward the door.

When I moved into the room my eyes went straight to Eric on the other side. He looked over to me immediately, feeling my presence as I felt his, the emotion rolling like a growing snowball.

I could see the determined look in his eyes and the way his mouth was set as if to stop his gorgeous lips from smiling.

The setting wasn't all that romantic and the company was a tad weird, but it was my life, the circumstances of the choices I'd made and I found it suited me just fine. My mental shields seemed to be stronger than ever and I smiled and walked through the crowded room to slide into the booth next to him. He put his arm around me and we sat in silence for a few minutes.

"You're right, I'm scared," I admitted quietly and glanced sideways toward him.

The corner of his mouth lifted and he slightly shook his head. "Don't tell anyone, but think of what it does to me. Some _human woman_ having so much power over me," he whispered with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes.

"Let's just take it one day at a time, my lover," he said and pulled me close and put his feet up.

"One day at a time." I nodded in agreement. I could handle that easier than a big commitment conversation. "But we're not…seeing anyone else, right?"

He laughed under his breath. "No."

"Okay," I nodded and looked around at all of the staring patrons.

"Do you want to leave?" he asked.

"Sure," I said. "Oh. But I have to work tomorrow at 4:30 and now I don't have a car." Knowing who had blown up my car and why did nothing for me in the department of making me feel any better about it or having transportation.

"Stay at my place. I have an extra vehicle you can borrow tomorrow to go to work."

"Oh, that would be nice, but…" I thought of his beloved Corvette and the shiny black Escalade I had seen in his garage. It would be like driving a bus. "I'm not sure I want to wreck that glossy truck of yours."

"I have a few other vehicles at my disposal that would perhaps be more manageable for you," he suggested.

"I would have to leave in time to go home to get my uniform. So you couldn't lock me in your room," I teased.

He nodded, "Let's get out of here."

"If you're sure," I said and looked around at the throngs of people crowding the place.

Eric was usually pretty hands-on about his business, but things seemed to run smoothly when he wasn't there with Pam around.

We said goodbye to Pam, who seemed less than surprised at our departure, and went to Eric's house.

"Come on," he said and brought me immediately into a huge closet that was next to his room. He pulled a white fuzzy bomber hat on my head and put a blaze orange one on himself, though it was only for effect. It wasn't like he ever got cold. I laughed out loud at him in the vibrant headgear.

He looked approvingly at me. "That looks sexy," he said, nodding.

"If you say so," I said and looked in the small mirror on the wall. I could maybe pass for a Bond girl in the Himalayas. I was wondering if this was some sort of fantasy he wanted to live out. But instead of undressing me, he held out a lined flannel shirt and I reluctantly put my arms in.

"Are we goin' gator hunting?" I joked.

"No, it's a surprise. Put it on," he said.

Eric had a stack of quilts and a small bag under his arm as we walked down the trail to the lake. He disappeared behind a cluster of cypress trees before he appeared; easily pulling a fishing boat down into the water.

"In you go," he said excitedly.

"It's pretty dark for a boat ride, isn't it?" I couldn't see any others out on the lake.

"The only boat rides I take are in the dark," he reminded me. "We have a light. It's perfectly safe."

I shrugged and climbed in. Eric pushed off the shore effortlessly and hopped in. Before he started the outboard motor behind him, he wrapped a quilt around me and laid another over my lap.

"Are you a big fisherman?" I asked with a grin. Somehow it seemed humorous.

"No, though it is a great place for catching bass, I've heard. I just like to drive out on the lake. You'll see why."

My eyes were streaming from the wind as we cruised over the water. A fine mist shot into my face whenever we hit a wave at an angle, so I turned toward the back of the boat. Behind Eric I could see the great distance that was growing between us and the shore. After a few more minutes, he slowed down and then killed the engine.

"Sit in the front seat for a minute, will you?" He asked and unhooked some clips to remove the middle seat. He laid down the extra quilts and looked at me expectantly.

"Close your eyes," he said softly and took my hand. I blindly lay down next to him on my side, using the life preservers as pillows and he covered me back up to keep me warm from the cool night.

"Open them." I was turned toward him and his eyes were glimmering with anticipation. "Look up," he said with a grin.

The dark vastness above us was dotted with brilliantly bright stars and from the middle of the lake there were no borders to the tapestry of the night sky.

The boat rocked gently, making the stars seem to sway above me as he leaned over me. The joy I felt when I was near him was magnified exponentially when his lips touched mine.

"My life has been long," he said close to my mouth.

"Yes," I whispered. "I can't even imagine."

"In all my years I've never found - never thought I would ever find - someone like you," he said as he stroked my cheek.

"Me either," I said in a tiny voice.

"It causes emotions I haven't felt in centuries."

"Like what?" I asked after our lips parted again.

"Jealousy. Guilt. Vulnerability. To name a few. It is also a very dangerous position to put you in." He pulled back from me. "I even worry about my selfishness." A mock look of surprise crossed his face before he hitched a crooked smile on his mouth.

That smile made it hard to keep myself from smiling. "I know what comes along with being involved with you." I looked up at the sky and he traced the line of my cheekbone.

"I believe you called it 'vampire shit'" he mused.

"Honestly, it is part of the reason I was scared from the beginning." I raised an eyebrow, thinking. "But I'm not sure I would be in any worse trouble with you than the kind I seem to get into all on my own."

"That is true," he chuckled.

"And in the end, it is definitely worth it," I said, as Eric leaned in to possess my mouth with his.

_Was it ever._


End file.
